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Common mental disorders, unemployment and psychosocial job quality: is a poor job better than no job at all?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 November 2012

P. Butterworth ,
L. S. Leach ,
S. McManus  and
S. A. Stansfeld
P. Butterworth*
Affiliation:
Psychiatric Epidemiology and Social Issues Unit, Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
L. S. Leach
Affiliation:
Psychiatric Epidemiology and Social Issues Unit, Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
S. McManus
Affiliation:
National Centre for Social Research, London, UK
S. A. Stansfeld
Affiliation:
Centre for Psychiatry, Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: P. Butterworth, Associate Professor, Psychiatric Epidemiology and Social Issues Unit, Centre for Research on Ageing, Health and Wellbeing, Building 63 Eggleston Road, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia. (Email: Peter.Butterworth@anu.edu.au)
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Abstract

Background

Employment is associated with health benefits over unemployment, but the psychosocial characteristics of work also influence health. There has, however, been little research contrasting the prevalence of psychiatric disorders among people who are unemployed with those in jobs of differing psychosocial quality.

Method

Analysis of data from the English Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey (APMS) considered the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMDs) among 2603 respondents aged between 21 and 54 years who were either (i) employed or (ii) unemployed and looking for work at the time of interview in 2007. Quality of work was assessed by the number of adverse psychosocial job conditions reported (low control, high demands, insecurity and low job esteem).

Results

The prevalence of CMDs was similar for those respondents who were unemployed and those in the poorest quality jobs. This pattern remained after controlling for relevant demographic and socio-economic covariates.

Conclusions

Although employment is thought to promote mental health and well-being, work of poor psychosocial quality is not associated with any better mental health than unemployment. Policy efforts to improve community mental health should consider psychosocial job quality in conjunction with efforts to increase employment rates.

Keywords

Employmentmental healthpsychosocialunemployment
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 43 , Issue 8 , August 2013 , pp. 1763 - 1772
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012 

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