MORE than three-quarters of Scots whose lives were blighted by debt during the coronavirus pandemic say their mental health suffered, a new poll has found.
Some 77% of adults in debt or at risk of debt since Covid-19 ripped through the country have said their money issues had negatively impacted on their mental health, according to a survey for Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS).
The organisation’s financial health spokesman, Sarah-Jayne Dunn, said that the “vicious link between financial pressures and mental wellbeing is something we should all understand”.
“Money worries and mental health issues often go hand in hand with emotional stress often being the cause and consequence of financial stress,” she said.
In a YouGov survey of 1001 Scots, 197 said they had taken on more debt or the risk of debt since the pandemic started. Of those who answered, 30% said it had affected them a great deal and 47% said it had impacted them a fair amount.
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Dunn said: “We want people to understand they aren’t alone in dealing with their debt or the impact on their mental wellbeing that comes with it. Hundreds of thousands of people facing the stigma of debt and the added stigma of poor mental health.”
CAS’s Debt Happens campaign aims to let people know they are not alone in facing debt and can get advice through its network.
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