NEW YORK (CBS NEWS) - What’s the recipe for a stress-filled life? According to new research, being young, a woman, having a low education level and/or having low income represent the most stressed individuals in the United States.

A new study, published in the June 2012 issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology, marks the first time scientists have been able to track the level of stress across the U.S. over time. Self-reported stress levels increased between 10 and 30 percent over all demographic categories between 1983 and 2009.

“We know that stress contributes to poorer health practices, increased risk for disease, accelerated disease progression and increased mortality,” study author Dr. Sheldon Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty Professor of Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, said in the press release. “Differences in stress between demographics may be important markers of populations under increased risk for physical and psychological disorders.”

High stress can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic.

In general, not only were women more stressed, but the study found that stress levels also increased with decreasing age — meaning 20-year-olds were more frazzled than 30-year-olds — and with lower education and income levels. Stress levels for women increased 18 percent, while men’s stress levels increased 25 percent over the study time period.

While minorities were more stressed than whites, the differences were negated when other demographic factors were taken into account. Although unemployed people were the most stressed, retired people normally reported lower stress levels.

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