Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-7qhmt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-28T15:30:10.527Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Economic downturns and population mental health: research findings, gaps, challenges and priorities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2010

K. Zivin*
Affiliation:
Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research and Development (HSR&D)Center of Excellence, Serious Mental Illness Treatment Research and Evaluation Center (SMITREC), Ann Arbor, MI, USA Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA University of Michigan Depression Center, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
M. Paczkowski
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
S. Galea
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
*
*Address for correspondence: K. Zivin, Ph.D., Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Rachel Upjohn Building, 4250 Plymouth Road, Box 5765, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. (Email: kzivin@umich.edu)

Abstract

Prior research suggests that the current global economic crisis may be negatively affecting population mental health. In that context, this paper has several goals: (1) to discuss theoretical and conceptual explanations for how and why economic downturns might negatively affect population mental health; (2) present an overview of the literature on the relationship between economic recessions and population mental health; (3) discuss the limitations of existing empirical work; and (4) highlight opportunities for improvements in both research and practice designed to mitigate any negative impact of economic declines on the mental health of populations. Research has consistently demonstrated that economic crises are negatively associated with population mental health. How economic downturns influence mental health should be considered in policies such as social protection programs that aim to promote recovery.

Type
Review Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abel-Smith, B (1986). The world economic crisis. Part 1: Repercussions on health. Health Policy Plan 1, 202213.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Agiesta, J (2009). Recession taking emotional toll, new poll finds. In The Washington Post, p. A16, 2 April 2009 (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/01/AR2009040102954.html).Google Scholar
Ahr, P, Gorodezky, M, Cho, D (1981). Measuring the relationship of public psychiatric admissions to rising unemployment. Psychiatric Services 32, 398401.Google Scholar
Atkinson, T, Liem, R, Liem, JH (1986). The social costs of unemployment – implications for social support. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 27, 317331.Google Scholar
Barling, PW, Handal, PJ (1980). Incidence of utilization of public mental health facilities as a function of short-term economic decline. American Journal of Community Psychology 8, 3139.Google Scholar
Brenner, M (1990). Influence of the economy on mental health and psychophysiological illness: international perspective. Community Mental Health in New Zealand 5, 210.Google Scholar
Brenner, M, Mooney, A (1983). Unemployment and health in the context of economic change. Social Science and Medicine 17, 1125.Google Scholar
Brenner, MH (1967). Economic change and mental hospitalization – New-York State, 1910–1960. Social Psychiatry 2, 180188.Google Scholar
Brenner, MH (1969). Patterns of psychiatric hospitalization among different socioeconomic groups in response to economic stress. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 148, 3138.Google Scholar
Brenner, MH (1973). Mental Illness and the Economy. Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA.Google Scholar
Brenner, MH (1987). Relation of economic change to Swedish health and social well-being, 1950–1980. Social Science and Medicine 25, 183195.Google Scholar
Brenner, MH, Mandell, W, Blackman, S, Silberstein, RM (1967). Economic conditions and mental hospitalization for functional psychosis. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 145, 371384.Google Scholar
Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research (2008). Determination of the December 2007 Peak in Economic Activity. National Bureau of Economic Research: Cambridge, MA.Google Scholar
Carlisle, D (2008). Public health in a recession. Nursing Times 104, 20.Google Scholar
Catalano, R (1991). The health-effects of economic insecurity. American Journal of Public Health 81, 11481152.Google Scholar
Catalano, R, Dooley, CD (1977). Economic predictors of depressed mood and stressful life events in a metropolitan community. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 18, 292307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Catalano, R, Dooley, D (1983). Health-effects of economic-instability – a test of economic-stress hypothesis. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 24, 4660.Google Scholar
Catalano, R, Dooley, D, Jackson, R (1981). Economic predictors of admissions to mental-health facilities in a nonmetropolitan community. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 22, 284297.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Catalano, RA, Dooley, D, Jackson, RL (1985). Economic antecedents of help seeking: reformulation of time-series tests. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 26, 141152.Google Scholar
Charlton, JRH, Bauer, R, Thakhore, A, Silver, R, Aristidou, M (1987). Unemployment and mortality – a small area analysis. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 41, 107113.Google Scholar
Dear, M, Clark, G, Clark, S (1979). Economic cycles and mental-health care policy – examination of the macro-context for social-service planning. Social Science and Medicine. Part C: Medical Economics 13, 4353.Google Scholar
Dooley, D, Catalano, R (1979). Economic, life, and disorder changes: time-series analyses. American Journal of Community Psychology 7, 381396.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dooley, D, Catalano, R (1984). The epidemiology of economic stress. American Journal of Community Psychology 12, 387409.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dooley, D, Catalano, R, Jackson, R, Brownell, A (1981). Economic, life, and symptom changes in a nonmetropolitan community. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 22, 144154.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dooley, D, Catalano, R, Rook, K, Serxner, S (1989). Economic stress and suicide: multilevel analyses. Part 1: aggregate time-series analyses of economic stress and suicide. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 19, 321336.Google Scholar
Durkheim, E (1951). Suicide: a Study in Sociology. The Free Press: New York, NY.Google Scholar
Elias, M (2009). Mental stress spirals with economy. In USA Today, 11 March 2009 (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-03-11-stress-poll_N.htm).Google Scholar
Gerdtham, UG, Johannesson, M (2005). Business cycles and mortality: results from Swedish microdata. Social Science and Medicine 60, 205218.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gunnell, D, Middleton, N, Whitley, E, Dorling, D, Frankel, S (2003). Why are suicide rates rising in young men but falling in the elderly? – a time-series analysis of trends in England and Wales 1950–1998. Social Science and Medicine 57, 595611.Google Scholar
Gunnell, D, Platt, S, Hawton, K (2009). The economic crisis and suicide. British Medical Journal 338, b1891. Published online: 15 May 2009. doi: 10.1136/bmj.b1891.Google Scholar
Guthmann, E (2009). Economy takes a toll on mental health. In San Francisco Chronicle, 2 January 2009 (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/01/MN3K14PUMO.DTL).Google Scholar
Hamermesh, D, Soss, N (1974). An economic theory of suicide. Journal of Political Economy 82, 8398.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Higginbottom, SF, Barling, J, Kelloway, EK (1993). Linking retirement experiences and marital satisfaction: a mediational model. Psychology and Aging 8, 508516.Google Scholar
Horwitz, A (1984). The economy and social pathology. Annual Review of Sociology 10, 95119.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Inoue, K, Tanii, H, Abe, S, Nishimura, Y, Kaiya, H, Nata, M, Okazaki, Y, Fukunaga, T (2008). The report in the correlation between the factor of unemployment and suicide in Japan. American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology 29, 202203.Google Scholar
International Monetary Fund (2009). World Economic Outlook: A Survey by the Staff of the International Monetary Fund, p. 255. International Monetary Fund: Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Kasl, SV (1979). Mortality and the business-cycle – some questions about research strategies when utilizing macro-social and ecological data. American Journal of Public Health 69, 784788.Google Scholar
Katona, G (1959). The psychology of the recession. The American Psychologist 14, 135143.Google Scholar
Kiernan, M, Toro, PA, Rappaport, J, Seidman, E (1989). Economic predictors of mental health service utilization: a time-series analysis. American Journal of Community Psychology 17, 801820.Google Scholar
Lester, D, Motohashi, Y, Yang, B (1992). The impact of the economy on suicide and homicide rates in Japan and the United States. International Journal of Social Psychiatry 38, 314317.Google Scholar
Lincoln, KD, Chatters, LM, Taylor, RJ (2005). Social support, traumatic events, and depressive symptoms among African Americans. Journal of Marriage and the Family 67, 754766.Google Scholar
Lundin, A, Hemmingsson, T (2009). Unemployment and suicide. Lancet 374, 270271.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marmot, M, Bell, R (2009). How will the financial crisis affect health? British Medical Journal 338, b1314. Published online: 6 April 2009. doi: 10.1136/bmj.b1314.Google Scholar
Marshall, JR, Dowdall, GW (1982). Employment and mental hospitalization – the case of Buffalo, New York, 1914–55. Social Forces 60, 843853.Google Scholar
Neumayer, E (2004). Recessions lower (some) mortality rates: evidence from Germany. Social Science and Medicine 58, 10371047.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nosowsky, R, Giordano, TJ (2006). The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) privacy rule: implications for clinical research. Annual Review of Medicine 57, 575590.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Peirce, RS, Frone, MR, Russell, M, Cooper, ML, Mudar, P (2000). A longitudinal model of social contact, social support, depression, and alcohol use. Health Psychology 19, 2838.Google Scholar
Platt, S, Micciolo, R, Tansella, M (1992). Suicide and unemployment in Italy: description, analysis and interpretation of recent trends. Social Science and Medicine 34, 11911201.Google Scholar
Price, RH, Choi, JN, Vinokur, AD (2002). Links in the chain of adversity following job loss: how financial strain and loss of personal control lead to depression, impaired functioning, and poor health. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology 7, 302312.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roberts, ET, Friedman, SR, Brady, JE, Pouget, ER, Tempalski, B, Galea, S (2010). Environmental conditions, political economy, and rates of injection drug use in large US metropolitan areas 1992–2002. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 106, 142153.Google Scholar
Robinson, WS (1950). Ecological correlations and the behavior of individuals. American Sociological Review 15, 351357.Google Scholar
Rough, G (2009). Recession taking toll on Americans' mental, physical health. In Arizona Republic, 12 April 2009 (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2009/04/12/20090412health-stress0412.html).Google Scholar
Smith, S (2009). The ailing economy is making people sicker. Doctors see rise in stress, drop in healthy habits. In The Boston Globe, 25 January 2009 (http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/01/25/the_ailing_economy_is_making_people_sicker/).Google Scholar
Stuckler, D, Basu, S, Suhrcke, M, Coutts, A, McKee, M (2009). The public health effect of economic crises and alternative policy responses in Europe: an empirical analysis. Lancet 374, 315323.Google Scholar
Trainor, J, Boydell, K, Tibshirani, R (1987). Short-term economic change and the utilization of mental-health facilities in a metropolitan-area. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry – Revue Canadienne De Psychiatrie 32, 379383.Google Scholar
United States Department of Labor (2009). The Employment Situation: June 2009. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Vigderhous, G, Fishman, G (1978). The impact of unemployment and familial integration on changing suicide rates in the U.S.A., 1920–1969. Social Psychiatry 13, 239248.Google Scholar
Vlahov, D, Galea, S, Resnick, H, Ahern, J, Boscarino, JA, Bucuvalas, M, Gold, J, Kilpatrick, D (2002). Increased use of cigarettes, alcohol, and marijuana among Manhattan, New York, residents after the September 11th terrorist attacks. American Journal of Epidemiology 155, 988996.Google Scholar
Waters, H, Saadah, F, Pradhan, M (2003). The impact of the 1997–98 East Asian economic crisis on health and health care in Indonesia. Health Policy and Planning 18, 172181.Google Scholar
Weyerer, S, Wiedenmann, A (1995). Economic factors and the rates of suicide in Germany between 1881 and 1989. Psychological Reports 76, 13311341.Google Scholar
WHO (2009). The Financial Crisis and Global Health Report of a High-Level Consultation. World Health Organization: Geneva.Google Scholar