The Impact of Work Loss on Mental and Physical Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Baseline Findings from a Prospective Cohort Study.
Daniel Griffiths, Luke Sheehan, Caryn van Vreden and 5 others
PMID 33656699WHAT IT FOUND
Losing work during the pandemic was linked to much higher rates of distress and poor health.
People with less money or fewer social connections suffered the most. Continued work seemed to protect mental health even for those with low social interaction.
Key findings
01Those who lost their jobs had significantly higher odds of high psychological distress, poor mental health, and poor physical health compared to those whose work was unaffected.
02Having fewer financial resources was associated with greater odds of high psychological distress, poor mental health, and poor physical health across all working status groups.
03Low social interaction was associated with worse mental health and distress only in those who had lost work, suggesting that continued engagement in work may protect mental health.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional at baseline, so it cannot prove that work loss caused the health problems, only that they are associated. Data relies on self-report, which can be biased. The sample may not be fully representative of the wider population, with a higher proportion of older people in the work loss groups than expected. There were significant differences between online and telephone respondents, with online users reporting more mental health issues and fewer physical health issues, though the analysis adjusted for this.
Declared interests
Funded by the Insurance Commission (icare), the Australian Research Council, and Monash University. No specific conflicts of interest for the authors are listed in the provided text beyond the funding sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that social interaction alone can compensate for the loss of work. The study found that low social interaction was linked to worse mental health only in those who had lost work, suggesting that the structure and connection provided by employment itself may be a critical protective factor that cannot be easily replaced by social support alone.