Financial Stress Raises Anxiety Risk 7x, Triggers Depression and Heart Attacks

Financial stress significantly heightens the risk of severe mental and physical health issues, with people experiencing high levels of economic worry facing up to seven times greater odds of severe anxiety disorders, according to data compiled by Associated Press-AOL in their Health Poll report, *Debt Stress: The Toll Owing Money Takes on the Body*.

The analysis, drawing from multiple scientific studies, links intense financial pressure to nearly sixfold increased chances of severe depression episodes, triple the risk of migraines or headaches, and double the likelihood of heart attacks. Physical symptoms also rise sharply: a 20% higher probability of back pain, 22% greater odds of insomnia, and 7% more risk of hypertension.

Jordi Martínez, director of financial education at Barcelona's Institute of Financial Studies, described these connections as a interconnected "triangle" of financial, emotional, and physical well-being. "If one leg fails, the others suffer," he said. Martínez noted that while awareness of physical health—through exercise and diet—and emotional health has grown, especially post-pandemic, finances remain taboo. "It's hard enough to discuss money with family, let alone strangers," he observed, adding that this silence leads to poor understanding and vulnerability, such as blindly accepting bank offers.

He attributed the issue to gaps in formal education, urging financial literacy from early childhood in both schools and homes. International assessments like PISA, which test 15-year-olds' financial skills, reveal strong ties to family background: affluent households foster open discussions and early accounts, while those in hardship associate money with suffering.

Martínez recommended starting around age six or seven, once children grasp basic math, using tools like a modest weekly allowance. "It's not just giving money—it's transferring responsibility," he explained, so kids learn to budget small purchases. Amounts should scale with age, shifting to monthly stipends in adolescence to teach full-month management, foresight for overspending, and saving for outings or friends.

Ultimately, he stressed that everyone makes constant financial decisions daily, regardless of profession, and called for basic financial knowledge as a standard educational outcome to promote autonomy.