I think the stresses are apparent if you have faced them. The main issue with being poor (speaking from experience) is the unavoidable fact that an unexpected outlay of $$ (car repair or trip to the doctor or parking ticket or broken water heater) can have such a profound effect on your finances, one which you may not recover from. The reality is that when you are poor, living pay check to paycheck, the margins are beyond fine. There is no second chance when life strikes, so the daily stress you feel is intense and surely has an effect on your state of mind. Soon you begin to feel trapped and that is when hope becomes a memory with survival the only concern. I feel fortunate to not have those stresses anymore and can tell you that the stresses I feel now are significantly less stressful in comparison. Stresses now could ruin my day but not my life (barring the most catastrophic events). When you are poor, everything $$ is significant and can have a radical impact on your life.