Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2004 Jan;94(1):82-8.
doi: 10.2105/ajph.94.1.82.

Unemployment and mental health: understanding the interactions among gender, family roles, and social class

Lucía Artazcoz  1 , Joan Benach, Carme Borrell, Immaculada Cortès
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Unemployment and mental health: understanding the interactions among gender, family roles, and social class

Lucía Artazcoz et al. Am J Public Health. 2004 Jan.

Abstract

Objectives: We examined gender differences in the effects of unemployment on mental health and assessed whether such effects are associated with interactions among gender, family roles, and social class.

Methods: Our analysis included 3881 employed and 638 unemployed workers, aged 25 to 64 years, interviewed in the 1994 Catalonian Health Survey.

Results: Unemployment had more of an effect on the mental health of men (age-adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 2.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.30, 3.87) than on that of women (age-adjusted OR = 1.51; 95% CI = 1.11, 2.06). Gender differences in effects were related to family responsibilities and social class.

Conclusions: Understanding the effects of unemployment on mental health requires consideration of the interactions among gender, family responsibilities, and social class.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Bartley M. Unemployment and ill health: understanding the relationship. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1994;48:333–337. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Janlert U. Unemployment as a disease and diseases of the unemployed. Scand J Work Environ Health. 1997;23(suppl 3):79–83. - PubMed
    1. Dooley D, Fielding J, Levi L. Health and unemployment. Annu Rev Public Health. 1996;17:449–465. - PubMed
    1. Piccinelli M, Wilkinson G. Gender differences in depression. Br J Psychiatry. 2000;177:486–492. - PubMed
    1. Qin P, Agerbo E, Westergård-Nielsen N, Eriksson T, Mortensen PB. Gender differences in risk factors for suicide in Denmark. Br J Psychiatry. 2000;177:546–550. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms