Kentucky One of Saddest States in U.S., New Study Shows

A study found Kentucky is one of the unhappiest states in the U.S. Photo courtesy of Wimedia Commons

A new study that included factors from unemployment rates to sleep deprivation indicates that Kentucky is one of the least happy states in the U.S.

The study looked at a number of factors to develop a Happiness Index Score; Mississippi ranked as the most unhappy state, while Kentucky ranked as the No. 8 unhappiest.

The study, conducted by Joy Organics, also included suicide rates, average hourly wage, the severity of depression and anxiety, number of primary care and mental health providers, adverse childhood experiences and neighborhood amenities.

Other states in the Top 10 unhappiest states are West Virginia (2), Alabama (3), Arizona (4), Arkansas (5), Nevada (6), South Carolina (7), Louisiana (9) and Oklahoma (10).

Mississippi’s unhappiness score was 58.6 out of 100, while Kentucky’s score was 62.5. Driving Mississippi’s low score were the lowest marks in both the anxiety and depression indexes, at 1.96 and 1.74 respectively. Those scores came through the Household Pulse Survey and Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, and they reflect the frequency with which the average person in the state experiences either anxiety or depressive symptoms on a scale of 0-3, where 0 is not at all and 3 is every day.

Kentucky, meanwhile, tied with Oregon with the fifth highest depression severity score of any state at 1.57. Kentucky also showed the fourth-highest percentage of adults who reported short sleep duration with 40.5%, as well as the fifth highest percentage of people reporting adverse childhood experiences at 19.5%.

Read the rest of the article at FredMinnick.com.