Employment Uncertainty and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic Initial Social Distancing Implementation: a Cross-national Study

Abstract

Background Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in changes in the work environment and employment uncertainty. This paper reports on a cross-national comparison of four countries (Norway, UK, USA and Australia) and examines the differences in mental health between those individuals employed and those not employed during the social distancing implementation. Methods Participants (N = 3,810) were recruited through social media in April/May 2020 and were invited to complete a self-administered electronic survey over a 3-week period. Differences between those employed and those not employed with regard to their sociodemographic characteristics and mental health were investigated with chi-square tests, independent t tests, and one-way analysis of variances (ANOVAs). Results Compared with their counterparts, participants who were employed reported lower levels of mental health distress (p < 0.001), higher levels of psychosocial well-being (p < 0.001), better overall quality of life (p < 0.001), and lower levels of overall loneliness, social loneliness, and emotional loneliness (p < 0.001). Small to medium but consistent differences (Cohen’s d = 0.23–0.67) in mental health favor those with employment or those who were retired. Conclusion Further study is needed to assess mental health over time as the COVID-19 pandemic and employment uncertainty continues.

Risk-Aversion for Negative Health Outcomes May Promote Individual Compliance to Containment Measures in Covid-19 Pandemic

“…In particular, into the context of Covid-19 pandemic, the risk of falling ill is weighed against the risk of losing the job and, thus, possibly compromising the living standards (Godinic et al, 2020;Rutter et al, 2020). In addition, people who work, find themselves having to organize and manage job activities and childcare as best as possible in this uncertain situation, sometimes without sufficient support of the institutions, trying to appropriately balance needs and sustainability (Del Boca et al, 2020a,b;Leduc and Liu, 2020;Blum and Dobrotić, 2021;Ruffolo et al, 2021).…”

A Comparison of Depression and Anxiety among University Students in Nine Countries during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…However, few studies were created via international collaboration [52]. Additionally, cross-national research regarding mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic frequently refers to the general population [12,[29][30][31][53][54][55][56][57] rather than the student population [45,58,59]. Additionally, in articles related to students' mental health, a binational, rather than cross-national perspective appears more frequently [45,58,59].…”

Working during a Pandemic between the Risk of Being Infected and/or the Risks Related to Social Distancing: First Validation of the SAPH@W Questionnaire

“…In organisational contexts, the ongoing COVID-19 emergency has brought about radical changes—in a noticeably short period of time—in terms of work processes and professional and social relations without the possibility of supporting or accompanying them [ 1 ]. The literature has highlighted the impact on psychological well-being related to the general fear of contagion [ 2 , 3 ], isolation during the lockdown period(s), concerns for one’s own health and the health of loved ones, and/or the loss of work and income [ 4 , 5 ]. Moreover, for the entire working population, an additional risk of developing stress and psychological discomfort arises from the risk (real and perceived) of being infected and/or—depending on whether the condition is experienced “in person” or “remotely” —the negative consequences of being “socially distanced” (e.g., technostress, the impossibility of separating family and workspaces and times, difficulties in coordinating work, etc.)…”