Income loss and subsequent poor psychological well-being among the Chinese population during the early COVID-19 pandemic

International Journal for Equity in Health

Research

Yanjun Lei¹  Alice Yan²  Youfa Wang³  Li Lu⁴  Zhongliang Zhou⁴  Chi Shen⁴  Sha Lai⁴ 

[1] Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China;Division of Research Patient Care Services, Stanford Health Care, 94305, Palo Alto, CA, USA;School of Public Health, Global Health Institute, Xi’an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi’an, China;School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, China;

关键词: Psychological well-being;    Income loss;    COVID-19;    China;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12939-023-02022-1

 received in 2023-03-03, accepted in 2023-09-22,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has had major ramifications for health and the economy at both the individual and collective levels. This study examined exogenous negative changes in household income and their implications on psychological well-being (PWB) among the Chinese population during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsData were drawn from the early China COVID-19 Survey, a cross-sectional anonymous online survey administered to the general population in China. Self-reported PWB was measured using a 5-point Likert scale with five questions related to the participants’ recent psychological state. Hierarchical multiple linear regression was employed to examine whether income loss during the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with poor psychological health.ResultsThis study included 8,428 adults, of which 90% had suffered from a moderate or severe loss of household income due to the early COVID-19 pandemic. Those who had experienced moderate or severe loss of income scored significantly lower on psychological well-being than those who did not experience income loss (19.96 or 18.07 vs. 21.46; P < 0.001); after controlling for confounders, income loss was negatively associated with PWB scores (moderate income loss: B = − 0.603, P < 0.001; severe income loss: B = − 1.261, P < 0.001). An interaction effect existed between the degree of income loss and pre-pandemic income groups. Specifically, participants in the middle-income group who had suffered severe income loss scored the lowest on PWB (B = − 1.529, P < 0.001). There was also a main effect on income loss, such that participants with varying degrees of income loss differed across five dimensions, including anhedonia, sleep problems, irritability or anger, difficulty with concentration, and repeated disturbing dreams related to COVID-19.ConclusionsIncome loss during the pandemic has had detrimental consequences on psychological well-being, and the magnitude of the impact of income loss on psychological well-being varied according to previous income levels. Future policy efforts should be directed toward improving the psychological well-being of the economically vulnerable and helping them recover from lost income in the shortest time possible.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

【 图 表 】

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