Is a “Vacation Deficit” Bad for Your Mental Heath?

Making time for vacation is important, right? Well, according to Allianz‘s 10th annual Vacation Confidence Index (VCI), it may be more important than previously thought. Americans who “think that a vacation is important but are not confident they will take one this year” (as written in the press release) are nearly two times as likely to show signs of moderately severe to severe depression compared to the national average. These American, Allianz has decided, are suffering from a “vacation deficit.”

While it’s important to note that the results stop short of real medical diagnoses, and of establishing the nature of the relationship between the two, the finding is interesting, to be sure. The signs of depression were evaluated via the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) survey, which is used by medical professionals in identifying depression symptoms. Beyond that, it’s not much of a stretch to conclude that an unfulfilled desire to get away from daily stresses, via a vacation, might negatively affect a person. How much, and in what ways, of course, it is not clear. Here, Allianz has attempted to dive deeper. Here are the results in an infographic:

And in video:

“While we have long known that Americans under utilize their vacation time, this shows the real consequences this can have for their health and well-being,” said Daniel Durazo, director of communications at Allianz Global Assistance USA. “While this research shows a relationship between the lack of vacation and signs of clinical depression, more comprehensive work is needed to fully understand the long-term effects of not taking a vacation on the mental health of Americans.”

What do you think? Are you among the 21% of Americans who find annual vacations important but aren’t confident they’ll take one in the next year? Share in the comments below.

Disclaimer: Johnny Jet works as an ambassador for Allianz Global Assistance (AGA Service Company) and receives financial compensation.

For more information about Allianz Global, visit AllianzTravelInsurance.com.