Contribution of the Economic Crisis to the Risk Increase of Poor Mental Health in a Region of Spain

Nayara Tamayo-Fonseca, Andreu Nolasco, Joaquín Moncho, Carmen Barona, María Ángeles Irles, Rosa Más, Manuel Girón, Manuel Gómez-Beneyto and Pamela Pereyra-Zamora
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Nayara Tamayo-Fonseca: Unidad mixta de investigación para el análisis de las desigualdades en salud y la mortalidad FISABIO-UA, University of Alicante, Campus de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, Ap. 99, 03080 Alicante, Spain
Andreu Nolasco: Unidad mixta de investigación para el análisis de las desigualdades en salud y la mortalidad FISABIO-UA, University of Alicante, Campus de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, Ap. 99, 03080 Alicante, Spain
Joaquín Moncho: Unidad mixta de investigación para el análisis de las desigualdades en salud y la mortalidad FISABIO-UA, University of Alicante, Campus de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, Ap. 99, 03080 Alicante, Spain
Carmen Barona: Conselleria de Sanitat Universal i Salut Pública, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region (FISABIO), Generalitat Valenciana, 46020 Valencia, Spain
María Ángeles Irles: Conselleria de Sanitat Universal i Salut Pública, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region (FISABIO), Generalitat Valenciana, 46020 Valencia, Spain
Rosa Más: Conselleria de Sanitat Universal i Salut Pública, Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research in the Valencian Region (FISABIO), Generalitat Valenciana, 46020 Valencia, Spain
Manuel Girón: Unidad mixta de investigación para el análisis de las desigualdades en salud y la mortalidad FISABIO-UA, University of Alicante, Campus de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, Ap. 99, 03080 Alicante, Spain
Manuel Gómez-Beneyto: CIBERSAM, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, 28029 Madrid, Spain
Pamela Pereyra-Zamora: Unidad mixta de investigación para el análisis de las desigualdades en salud y la mortalidad FISABIO-UA, University of Alicante, Campus de San Vicente del Raspeig s/n, Ap. 99, 03080 Alicante, Spain

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 11, 1-16

Abstract: Previous research suggests that the economic crisis can affect mental health. The purpose of this study was to analyse the association of risk of poor mental health with various socioeconomic, demographic, health, quality of life, and social support variables; and to evaluate the contribution of socioeconomic variables most affected by the beginning of the economic crisis (employment situation and income) on the changes in the prevalence of the risk of poor mental health between 2005 and 2010. A study of prevalence evolution in adult population residents of the Valencian Community in the Spanish Mediterranean was conducted. We studied 5781 subjects in 2005 and 3479 in 2010. Logistic regression models have been adjusted to analyse the association between variables. A standardisation procedure was carried out to evaluate which part of the changes in overall prevalence could be attributed to variations in the population structure by age, sex, employment status, and income between the years under study. The prevalence of GHQ+ increased from 2005 to 2010, in both men and women. Several variables were closely associated with the risk of poor mental health (sex, age, country of birth, number of nonmental chronic diseases, social support, disability, cohabitation in couple, employment status, and income). The changes produced as a result of the onset of the economic crisis in income and unemployment (increase in low income and in unemployment rates) contributed to the increase of poor mental health risk. This could confirm the sensitivity of mental health to the economic deterioration caused by the crisis.

Keywords: economic recession; mental health; health status disparities; Spain; GHQ (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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