Mental health affects future employment as job loss affects mental health: findings from a longitudinal population study

BMC Psychiatry

Research Article

Liana S Leach¹  Sarah C Olesen¹  Peter Butterworth¹  Margaret Kelaher²  Jane Pirkis² 

[1] Centre for Research on Ageing, Health & Wellbeing College of Medicine Biology & Environment, The Australian National University, Bldg 62A Eggleston Road, The Australian National University, 0200, Acton, ACT, Australia;Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Level 4 207 Bouverie Street, 3010, Carlton, Victoria, Australia;

关键词: Mental health;    Unemployment;    Employment;    Inclusion;    Longitudinal;    Social policy;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1471-244X-13-144

 received in 2012-09-18, accepted in 2013-05-07,  发布年份 2013

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundWorkforce participation is a key feature of public mental health and social inclusion policies across the globe, and often a therapeutic goal in treatment settings. Understanding the reciprocal relationship between participation and mental health has been limited by inadequate research methods. This is the first study to simultaneously examine and contrast the relative effects of unemployment on mental health and mental health on employment status in a single general population sample.MethodData were from working-age respondents (20 to 55 years at baseline) who completed nine waves of the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey (N=7176). Cross-lagged path analyses were used to test the lagged and concurrent associations between unemployment and mental health over time, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics.ResultsMental health was shown to be both a consequence of and risk factor for unemployment. Thus, the poorer mental health observed amongst people who are not working is attributable to both the impact of unemployment and existing mental health problems. While the strength of these two effects was similar for women, the results for men suggested that the effect of unemployment on subsequent mental health was weaker than the effect of mental health on subsequent risk of unemployment.ConclusionDisentangling the reciprocal links between mental health and workforce participation is central to the development and success of clinical goals and health and social policies that aim to promote either aspect. This study demonstrates that both effects are important and supports concurrent responses to prevent a cycle of disadvantage and entrenched social exclusion.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Olesen et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2013