Mental health outcomes in times of economic recession: a systematic literature review

BMC Public Health

Research Article

Tânia Gaspar¹  José M. Caldas-de-Almeida²  Cláudia C. Storti³  Margarida Gaspar Matos⁴  Ferdinand Salonna⁵  Diana Frasquilho⁶  Diogo Guerreiro⁷ 

[1] Aventura Social/ISAMB, University of Lisbon and Lisbon Lusíada University, Lisbon, Portugal;Department of Mental Health, Medical School, Nova University Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal;European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Lisbon, Portugal;Faculty of Human Kinetics, ISAMB, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal;Institute of Active Lifestyle, Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacky University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic;Medical School, CMDT, Nova University Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal;Psychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal;

关键词: Economic recession;    Mental disorders;    Mental health;    Substance-related disorders;    Suicide;    Unemployment;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12889-016-2720-y

 received in 2015-05-13, accepted in 2016-01-11,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundCountries in recession experience high unemployment rates and a decline in living conditions, which, it has been suggested, negatively influences their populations’ health. The present review examines the recent evidence of the possible association between economic recessions and mental health outcomes.MethodsLiterature review of records identified through Medline, PsycINFO, SciELO, and EBSCO Host. Only original research papers, published between 2004 and 2014, peer-reviewed, non-qualitative research, and reporting on associations between economic factors and proxies of mental health were considered.ResultsOne-hundred-one papers met the inclusion criteria. The evidence was consistent that economic recessions and mediators such as unemployment, income decline, and unmanageable debts are significantly associated with poor mental wellbeing, increased rates of common mental disorders, substance-related disorders, and suicidal behaviours.ConclusionOn the basis of a thorough analysis of the selected investigations, we conclude that periods of economic recession are possibly associated with a higher prevalence of mental health problems, including common mental disorders, substance disorders, and ultimately suicidal behaviour. Most of the research is based on cross-sectional studies, which seriously limits causality inferences. Conclusions are summarised, taking into account international policy recommendations concerning the cost-effective measures that can possibly reduce the occurrence of negative mental health outcomes in populations during periods of economic recession.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Frasquilho et al. 2016