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Employment status and perceived health condition: longitudinal data from Italy

01 Mar 2014-Research Papers in Economics (University Library of Munich, Germany)-
TL;DR: Evidence is offered on the relationship between self-reported health and the employment status in Italy using the Survey on Household Income and Wealth (SHIW), which finds that temporary workers, first-job seekers and unemployed individuals are worse off than permanent employees.
Abstract: The considerable increase of non-standard labor contracts, unemployment and inactivity rates raises the question of whether job insecurity and the lack of job opportunities affect physical and mental well-being differently from being employed with an open-ended contract. In this paper we offer evidence on the relationship between Self Reported Health Status (SRHS) and the employment status in Italy using the Survey on Household Income and Wealth; another aim is to investigate whether these potential inequalities have changed with the recent economic downturn (time period 2006-2010). We estimate an ordered logit model with SRHS as response variable based on a fixed-effects approach which has certain advantages with respect to the random-effects formulation and has not been applied before with SRHS data. The fixed-effects nature of the model also allows us to solve the problems of incidental parameters and non-random selection of individuals into different labor market categories. We find that temporary workers, unemployed and inactive individuals are worse off than permanent employees, especially males, young workers, and those living in the center and south of Italy. Health inequalities between unemployed/inactive and permanent workers widen over time for males and young workers, and arise in the north of the country as well.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded 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.
Abstract: Countries 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. Literature 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. One-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. On 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.

386 citations


Cites background from "Employment status and perceived hea..."

  • ...[29] National population sample, Italy Cohort 37,782 (2006–2010) 15–64 y Inter-time Variables Psychosocial/economic indicators Pre- and post- recession period Employment Status Psychological Well-being Self-rated health Temporary workers, first job seekers and unemployed individuals all perceive their health as being worse than permanent workers do....

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  • ...viduals were amplified after the onset of the recession [29]....

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  • ...tion [28, 29, 33, 39], although Icelandic and Swedish...

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: There is evidence that young people are especially vulnerable to health problems when unemployed or working in precarious conditions, and active labour market and training programmes, inclusive social security measures, improved working conditions and targeted health programmes are important for addressing this vulnerability.
Abstract: Background: The impact of unemployment and precarious employment on the health of young people is not well understood. However, according to social causation, higher socio-economic positions and th...

101 citations


Cites background from "Employment status and perceived hea..."

  • ...Lack of economic and social benefits [36, 42, 48, 67, 70, 79]...

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  • ...[12, 35-79] in the actual review (see Figure 1)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors apply a dynamic panel data estimator (system GMM) to account for both unobserved confounders and reverse causality, and find strong support for the causality thesis.

47 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Race by gender heterogeneity in the residual effect of restless sleep over depressive symptoms on CMC over 25 years suggests that comorbid poor sleep and depressive symptoms differently contribute to development of multi-morbidity among subpopulations based on the intersection of race and gender.
Abstract: Sleep and depression are comorbid problems that contribute to the development of chronic medical conditions (CMC) over time. Although racial and gender differences in the bidirectional associations between sleep, depression, and CMC are known, very limited information exists on heterogeneity of the residual effects of sleep problems over depressive symptoms on CMC across race by gender groups. Using a life-course perspective, the present study compared race by gender groups for residual effects of restless sleep over depressive symptoms on CMC. We used data from waves 1 (year 1986), 4 (year 2001), and 5 (year 2011) of the Americans’ Changing Lives Study (ACL). The study followed 294 White men, 108 Black men, 490 White women, and 237 Black women for 25 years. Restless sleep, depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression scale [CES-D]), and number of chronic medical conditions (hypertension, diabetes, chronic lung disease, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and arthritis) were measured in 1986, 2001, and 2011. We employed multi-group cross-lagged modeling, with chronic medical conditions as the outcome and race by gender as the groups. Major group differences were found in the residual effect of restless sleep on CMC over depressive symptoms across race by gender groups. Restless sleep in 2001 predicted CMC 10 years later in 2011 among Black women (standardized adjusted B = .135, P .05). Race by gender heterogeneity in the residual effect of restless sleep over depressive symptoms on CMC over 25 years suggests that comorbid poor sleep and depressive symptoms differently contribute to development of multi-morbidity among subpopulations based on the intersection of race and gender. Thus, interventions that try to prevent comorbid sleep problems and depression as a strategy to prevent medical conditions may benefit from tailoring based on the intersection of race and gender.

46 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
Benjamin J Gray1, Cnb Grey1, A Hookway1, Lucia Homolova1, Alisha R Davies1 
TL;DR: Mental health was generally poorer in both male and female employees as a result of precarious employment, and males were also at higher risk of mortality.
Abstract: Aim:Precarious employment is known to be detrimental to health, and some population subgroups (young individuals, migrant workers, and females) are at higher risk of precarious employment. However,...

33 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigated the relationship between personal and social identity, identifying possible similarities and differences between a group of Italian employed adults and a groups of unemployed adults, and found that having a permanent employment, an elevated self-esteem, and good ego-strength, and internal locus of control are predictive of the adult identity among employed subjects.
Abstract: The present paper gives a contribution to the Italian psychology literature dealing with identity uneasiness of the young adult, which represents a clinically significant life-span phase especially if considered within the critical working situation that compels them to postpone life-markers which are the first signs of entering adultness Those belonging to young adulthood seem uncompleted identities, hanging in between waiting to fulfil one’s life projects and the lack of satisfactory responses from modern society The present research aims to investigate the relationship between personal and social identity, identifying possible similarities and differences between a group of Italian employed adults and a group of unemployed adults A group of 173 Italian young adults, aged between 27 and 34, were recruited to complete an Identifying Information Form constructed ad hoc, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, the Multi-Measure Agnostic Personality Scale, and the Identity Stage Resolution Index Data showed that unemployed young adults have a lower adult and social identity sense than employed ones, who also present an elevated level of ego-strength Furthermore, results underline that having a permanent employment, an elevated self-esteem, and good ego-strength, and internal locus of control are predictive of the adult identity among employed subjects These young people’s difficulties to securely enter a profession is a risk factor for establishing a social identity, as well as, for the mental health; they may even impact one’s awareness, especially because the principle on which post-modern society is based is the demonstration of the value of one’s own resources

25 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jun 2017
TL;DR: Unemployment has a negative impact and leads to impaired mental health of the working age population in Bosnia and Herzegovina and indicates that social and health policies must be developed in order to improve well-being of theWorking age population.
Abstract: Introduction Bosnia and Herzegovina has one of the highest unemployment rates in the Balkan region (43.2%), so unemployment is one of the most serious public concerns in our country. Aim To analyze the influence of unemployment on mental health of the working age population who attend primary care center. Material and methods The study was carried out in the municipality of Bosanska Krupa, which has the highest unemployment rate in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (56%), and included 510 randomly selected working age patients (aged 23-65 years). We used the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) to evaluate mental health of the working age population. Results There were significantly more women than men (53.5% vs. 46.5%; p=0.02). The mean age of participants was 51.04±12.84 years. The experimental group included 318 (62.35%) unemployed working age participants: 160 (50.3%) had been unemployed for more than 5 years and had had no work experience, while 158 (49.7%) unemployed participants had had a previous work experience of more than five years. The control group included 192 (37.65%) employed working age participants. Unemployment had a significant influence on mental health of the working age population. The unemployed participants had a significantly poorer mental health compared to the employed (p=0.0003). A predictor of impaired mental health was a job loss. A significantly greater mental health impairment occured in the group of unemployed participants with previous work experience of more than five years compared to the unemployed participants who had had no work experience (p=0.001) and employed (p=0.000). Conclusion Unemployment has a negative impact and leads to impaired mental health of the working age population in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A job loss has a predictive role. It indicates that social and health policies must be developed in order to improve well-being of the working age population.

24 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results show a significant impact of higher unemployment rates on admissions for severe mental disorders after controlling for relevant economic factors, and the effects are concentrated on the most economically disadvantaged areas.
Abstract: The great economic crisis in 2008 has affected the welfare of the population in countries such as Italy. Although there is abundant literature on the impact of the crisis on physical health, very few studies have focused on the causal implications for mental health and health care. This paper, therefore, investigates the impact of the recent economic crisis on hospital admissions for severe mental disorder at small geographic levels in Italy and assesses whether there are heterogeneous effects across areas with distinct levels of income. We exploit 9-year (2007-2015) panel data on hospital discharges, which is merged with employment and income composition at the geographic units that share similar labour market structures. Linear and dynamic panel analysis are used to identify the causal effect of rising unemployment rate on severe mental illness admissions per 100,000 residents to account for time-invariant heterogeneity. We further create discrete income levels to identify the potential socioeconomic gradients behind this effect across areas with different economic characteristics. The results show a significant impact of higher unemployment rates on admissions for severe mental disorders after controlling for relevant economic factors, and the effects are concentrated on the most economically disadvantaged areas. The results contribute to the literature of spatio-temporal variation in the broader determinants of mental health and health care utilisation and shed light on the populations that are most susceptible to the effects of the economic crisis.

24 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, a cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted in South Australia in 2009 (N = 1,016 employed) and SF-12 measures of mental and physical health were modeled using logistic regression in relation to employment arrangement, controlling for socio-demographics, years in job and psychosocial working conditions.
Abstract: Background Precarious employment has been associated with poor health, but the potential mechanisms are unclear. We examined the relationships between precarious employment and health, and investigated psychosocial working conditions as potential mediators. Methods A cross-sectional population-based survey was conducted in South Australia in 2009 (N = 1,016 employed). SF-12 measures of mental and physical health were modeled using logistic regression in relation to employment arrangement, controlling for socio-demographics, years in job and psychosocial working conditions. Results There was no association between casual full-time or part-time employment and poor mental health in multivariate analyses. Conversely, there was a significant association between casual full-time employment and poor physical health (compared to permanent full-time workers, OR = 3.14, 95% CI 1.26–7.85). The association with physical health was unaffected by adjustment for psychosocial working conditions. Conclusions Casual full-time employment was strongly associated with poor physical health but not with poor mental health. This association was not mediated by the psychosocial working conditions measured in this study, but may be related to other (unmeasured) working conditions. Am. J. Ind. Med. 56:838–844, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

22 citations


"Employment status and perceived hea..." refers background in this paper

  • ...Insecurity due to the contract duration has been found to substantially decrease the perceived health condition [12], to increase psychological distress [13] and even poor physical health [14]....

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Journal ArticleDOI
24 Oct 2019-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: Patients with diabetes mellitus and factors that determine their attitudes and perceptions towards their previous events, including older age, being educated, being married, having T2DM, prescribed insulin therapy, and not having been admitted to hospital for hypoglycaemia were important predictors of patients’ problem-solving ability.
Abstract: Background Preventing hypoglycaemia is an essential component of diabetes self-management that is affected by patients’ attitudes and perceptions. This study aimed to explore the hypoglycaemia problem-solving ability of patients who have diabetes mellitus and factors that determine their attitudes and perceptions towards their previous events. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2017 and May 2018 in three Arab countries (Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait) in patients with diabetes mellitus, who were prescribed antidiabetic therapy and had experienced hypoglycaemic events in the past six months. The Hypoglycaemia Problem-Solving Scale was used in this study. This scale contains two subscales, problem orientation (six questions) and problem-solving skills (eighteen questions), using a five-point Likert scale (range 0–4). Multiple linear regression analysis was used to identify predictors of hypoglycaemia problem-solving abilities. Results A total of 895 patients participated in this study from the three countries (300 in Jordan, 302 in Saudi Arabia, and 293 in Kuwait). The average age of the patients was 53.5 years (standard deviation = 13.7) and 52.4% (n = 469) were males. Patients had moderate overall problem-solving ability with a median score of 63.00 (interquartile range = 13.00). Patients’ problem-solving skills score (68.1%) was better than their problem-orientation skills score (58.3%). The highest sub-scale scores were for detection control, setting problem-solving goals, and evaluating strategies, 75.0%. The lowest sub-scale score was for problem-solving perception and immediate management, 50.0%. Older age, being educated, being married, having T2DM, prescribed insulin therapy, and not having been admitted to hospital for hypoglycaemia were important predictors of patients’ problem-solving ability (p < 0.05). Conclusions Healthcare professionals are advised to provide more education to patients on how to self-manage hypoglycaemic events. Specifically, they should focus on the overall problem-solving perception of hypoglycaemia and its immediate management.

22 citations