Experiencing financial stress may lead to physical pain

This sounds like at least part of the reason for the high rates of alcohol & drugs in the lowest economic class.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/afps-efs021916.php

Public Release: 22-Feb-2016
Experiencing financial stress may lead to physical pain
Association for Psychological Science

People who feel that their financial outlook is shaky may actually experience more physical pain than those who feel financially secure, according to new research in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The findings indicate that the link may be driven, at least in part, by feeling a lack of control over one's life.

"Overall, our findings reveal that it physically hurts to be economically insecure," explains researcher and lead study author Eileen Chou of the University of Virginia. "Results from six studies establish that economic insecurity produces physical pain, reduces pain tolerance, and predicts over-the-counter painkiller consumption."

The research, led by Chou and colleagues Bidhan Parmar (University of Virginia) and Adam Galinsky (Columbia University), stemmed from an observation of two co-occurring trends: increasing economic insecurity and increasing complaints of physical pain.

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And the researchers found that the degree to which participants felt in control of their lives helped to account for the association between feelings of economic insecurity and reports of physical pain.

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