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Family Circle Magazine and the Clinton Health Matters Initiative Release Exclusive Survey Highlighting the Stresses of Being an American Mom


New York, NY (September 9, 2014) — According to an exclusive national survey conducted by Family Circle magazine in partnership with the Clinton Health Matters Initiative, an initiative of the Clinton Foundation dedicated to improving health and well-being, stay-at-home moms and working moms reported nearly the same levels of tension. Released today, the survey reveals the stressors that are keeping many American moms up at night—and how these women can get some much-needed peace of mind. The survey results are revealed in the October 2014 issue of Family Circle (http://bit.ly/1xy2qcy), on newsstands Tuesday, September 9.

“It is important to recognize that stress is a driver of our overall health.  Increasing our awareness of stress makes it more likely we can reduce it” said Rain Henderson, CEO of the Clinton Health Matters Initiative. “It is helpful for moms and families alike to identify common stressors so they can address them with family and physicians to lead healthy, less stressed lives.”

Top Sources of Stress
From healthy diets and homework to financial security and finding alone time, the below tasks stress moms out:

  • 71% — Keeping on top of the housework.
  • ​60% — Maintaining their physical appearance.
  • 40% — Finding time for friends.
  • 32% — Making a good impression on other moms.

Stress Relates to Age of Children

Whether the kids are toddlers or teens, being a mother is always a full-time job:

  • 69% of all moms polled report that being a mom is stressful.  
  • 63% of moms with 13-to-15 year-olds report that being a mother is stressful.
  • Moms of teen girls are the least pressed of all.

De-Stressors That Don’t Work

Not all women are taking the same strides to combat stress. According to some moms, getting it on and pumping iron don’t always relieve their stress:

  • 30% of moms report school vacations and summer breaks don’t reduce their stress level.
  • A surprising 28% of ‘very stressed’ moms report having sex just makes them feel more pressured.
  • Nearly one-in-four moms (21%) report hitting the gym doesn’t decrease stress levels.

Negative Coping Mechanisms to Combat Stress

‘Very stressed’ moms reported doing too much of the below activities to blow off steam:

  • Almost half (43%) of very stressed moms admit to yelling at their children.
  • 41% of very stressed moms admit to eating for comfort.
  • Nearly one-in-four (26%) of very stressed moms admit to smoking.

Working Moms Aren’t Alone

According to the survey, stay-at-home moms and working moms reported nearly the same levels of tension. The moms included in the survey really worry more about:

  • Keeping up with the housework than keeping up their physical appearance.
  • Finding time for themselves than making time for their friends
  • Being a mom than being a wife.

“We know moms are stressed—what we didn't know was how many, why and what these women do to manage it,” said Vice President/Editor-in-Chief Linda Fears. “By partnering with the Clinton Health Matters Initiative, we were able to identify common pressures on moms and offer stress management solutions to our 18 million readers.”

The survey is available in the October 2014 issue of Family Circle magazine, on newsstands September 9. Additional survey statistics are available for review. All editors are available for interviews.

Survey Methodology

On behalf of Family Circle and the Clinton Health Matters Initiative, Ipsos Public Affairs conducted a nationwide online survey of 1,001 mothers ages 18 and older from April 23 to May 8, 2014. The estimated margin of error for the survey is +/- 3.1 percentage points.

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Learn more about our work at https://www.clintonfoundation.org/about, on Facebook at Facebook.com/ClintonFoundation and on Twitter @ClintonFdn.

About Family Circle

Family Circle offers women engaging content, delicious recipes, candid advice and the peace of mind to raise a happy, healthy family. Reaching 18 million readers each month via an award-winning print magazine, robust website, tablet editions and social networks, Family Circle understands what inspires women and encourages them to celebrate life’s milestones. Family Circle is the longest-running title sponsor of the Family Circle Cup, the largest women’s-only tennis tournament in the world. The event is held annually at Family Circle Magazine Stadium in Charleston, SC.  Family Circle is published twelve times a year by Meredith Corporation [NYSE: MDP] with a circulation of four million.

Additional information is available at www.familycircle.com | Facebook: facebook.com/familycirclemag | Twitter: twitter.com/familycirclemag | Pinterest: pinterest.com/familycirclemag | Instagram: instagram.com/familycirclemag