Employment Pathways during Economic Recession and Recovery and Adult Health

Nonparticipation in Work and Education in Emerging Adulthood and Depressive Symptoms through Early Midlife

More than one-in-eight young adults in the US between the ages of 16 to 24 were not in employment, education, or training (NEET) in 2020 - a level not seen since the Great Recession. This study examines the long-term association between NEET status in emerging adulthood and later depressive symptoms using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (1995-2018). Growth curve models chart the association between NEET status and depressive symptoms over time in the US. The analytic sample includes 9,349 individuals and 28,047 person-wave observations for respondents between ages 18 to 43. In a fully specified model, respondents who reported NEET status in emerging adulthood (ages 18-26), exhibited greater depressive symptoms across emerging adulthood through early midlife (ages 33-43) (b=0.44, 95% CI 0.33, 0.54) compared to those participating in employment, education, or training. Associations persisted even after accounting for early life disadvantage and using propensity score matching to further diminish possible sources of bias. Results indicate that disconnection from school and work during emerging adulthood may constitute a risk factor for depressive symptoms through early midlife.

Changes in socioeconomic resources and mental health after the second COVID-19 wave (2020-2021): a longitudinal study in Switzerland

BACKGROUND

During the 2020/2021 winter, the labour market was under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes in socioeconomic resources during this period could have influenced individual mental health. This association may have been mitigated or exacerbated by subjective risk perceptions, such as perceived risk of getting infected with SARS-CoV-2 or perception of the national economic situation. Therefore, we aimed to determine if changes in financial resources and employment situation during and after the second COVID-19 wave were prospectively associated with depression, anxiety and stress, and whether perceptions of the national economic situation and of the risk of getting infected modified this association.

METHODS

One thousand seven hundred fifty nine participants from a nation-wide population-based eCohort in Switzerland were followed between November 2020 and September 2021. Financial resources and employment status were assessed twice (Nov2020-Mar2021, May-Jul 2021). Mental health was assessed after the second measurement of financial resources and employment status, using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). We modelled DASS-21 scores with linear regression, adjusting for demographics, health status, social relationships and changes in workload, and tested interactions with subjective risk perceptions.

RESULTS

We observed scores above thresholds for normal levels for 16% (95%CI = 15-18) of participants for depression, 8% (95%CI = 7-10) for anxiety, and 10% (95%CI = 9-12) for stress. Compared to continuously comfortable or sufficient financial resources, continuously precarious or insufficient resources were associated with worse scores for all outcomes. Increased financial resources were associated with higher anxiety. In the working-age group, shifting from full to part-time employment was associated with higher stress and anxiety. Perceiving the Swiss economic situation as worrisome was associated with higher anxiety in participants who lost financial resources or had continuously precarious or insufficient resources.

CONCLUSION

This study confirms the association of economic stressors and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the exacerbating role of subjective risk perception on this association.