Survey says: Back-to-school need not be back-to-stress

TORONTO, Aug. 25, 2008 (Canada NewsWire via COMTEX) -- Desjardins Financial Security's National Health is Cool Survey shows
parents are stressed by overloaded academic and family calendars
With only one weekend left in the summer holidays, parents are likely sharing their kids' anxiety leading up to the new school year. Desjardins Financial Security's 2008 Health is Cool survey results show that parents experience added stress due to the social pressures of providing as much hands-on parenting as possible.
The majority of survey respondents with children said that they were generally enjoying good mental and physical health, financial security and an overall reduction in stress compared to the previous year. Despite this good news, many agreed that they do feel social pressure to raise exceptional kids (93.3 per cent). For some, this means doing as much possible so their children are the best among other children of the same age (84.8 per cent), to the extent that most suggested that parents do "too much" (81 per cent).
Overloaded family calendars are key stress triggers
This is particularly true of the majority of full-time working parents who agreed that their family calendars were overloaded. They also noted that meeting their children's needs was a key stress trigger, second only to money concerns. Other stressors included family and work issues, and taking care of one's health.
"It's natural for parents to make sacrifices to ensure that their kids get the very best," said Michele Nowski, director of disability income claims and disability management at Desjardins Financial Security. "But it becomes a problem when these sacrifices are detrimental to one's health. What tends to happen is that parents will put themselves last. This increases their stress and the likelihood that they will eventually become sick."
"The majority of all respondents, 83 per cent, said that they have gone to work sick or exhausted," Michele Nowski explained. "In this case, parents did so to avoid having their work pile up and ensure that they would have enough time for their kids. But this sometimes leads to serious illness and longer periods of time away from family and work."
Stop trying so hard-your kids are fine!
Dr. Steven Stein from the Psychology Foundation of Canada agreed that these results are not surprising. "Parents want to provide their kids with an enriched childhood full of opportunities and experiences. But let's remember that school/life balance is just as important as work/life balance. Sometimes, the basic lessons of life taught at home are just as enriching, if not more so."
So this year, mom and dad, take it easy. Think about your needs for a change and remember-your kids will be successful so long as you are happy and healthy, too!
About the Survey
SOM Surveys, Opinion Polls and Marketing conducted the survey on behalf of Desjardins Financial Security between February 7 and March 10, 2008. In total, 1,594 interviews were conducted with a representative sample of Canadian adults. The sampling plan provides proportional estimates with a maximum margin of error of plus or minus 2.6 per cent at a 95 per cent confidence level (19 times out of 20). The data was statistically weighted to accurately reflect the composition of Canadians by region, gender and age based on Statistics Canada's 2006 Census information.
About Desjardins Financial Security
Desjardins Financial Security, a subsidiary of Desjardins Group, the largest integrated cooperative financial group in Canada, specializes in providing life insurance, health insurance and retirement savings products and services to individuals and groups. Every day, over five million Canadians rely on Desjardins Financial Security to ensure their financial security. The company employs over 3,900 people and administers more than $22 billion in assets from offices in several cities across the country, including Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec, Lévis, Halifax and St. John's. For more information, visit our website at www.desjardinsfinancialsecurity.com
SOURCE: DESJARDINS FINANCIAL SECURITY
CONTACT: Sarah Twomey, Communications Advisor, (416) 926-2700 extension 2015, Toll free:
1-877-906-5551, extension 2015, sarah.twomey@dfs.ca; Virtual newsroom:
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