ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines and discusses the basic patterns of distress discovered and confirmed in US community surveys over the past forty years: the higher one's socioeconomic status the lower one's level of distress; married people are less distressed than the unmarried. The basic patterns include parents with children at home are more distressed than people who are not raising children; women are more distressed than men. It also include the greater the number of undesirable changes in one's life the greater one's level of distress; middle-aged people are the least depressed, but older people are least anxious. The basic patterns first stood as fascinating new discoveries, then as core facts in the growing body of research. After it became clear that they are robust and replicable findings, the focus of research switched from demonstrating the facts to explaining them. Patterns of psychological distress tell about the quality of life in various social positions.
