Psychological impact of the state of emergency over COVID-19 for non-permanent workers: a Nationwide follow-up study in Japan

Abstract

Background The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused mental health problems and increased unemployment due to the economic recession. This survey aimed to assess the psychological impact of the state of emergency. We estimated changes in mental health, quality of life, and unemployment experience for general workers during the first COVID-19 outbreak in Japan. Methods We conducted a nationwide follow-up study. During the periods of March 26 to April 6, 2020 and June 26 to July 2, 2020, we used the internet to survey general workers aged 15 to 59 years in Japan. The questionnaire items covered employment status and socioeconomic factors, and we used the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and EQ-5D-5L to assess depression and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL), respectively. The differences in outcomes of permanent and non-permanent workers were analyzed using propensity score analysis. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to examine the relationship between unemployment and CES-D scores. Results We included 2351 subjects in the analysis. Changes in both CES-D scores and utility were not significantly different between the two groups. However, a significant difference was found regarding the rate of unemployment, which was associated with higher CES-D scores. Conclusions The present study demonstrated that the mental health of non-permanent workers was not negatively affected following the state of emergency due to COVID-19 in Japan. Unemployment is an important factor that influences the mental health of general workers.

Temporary employment and suicidal ideation in COVID-19 pandemic in Japan: A cross-sectional nationwide survey

“…The findings echoed previous studies showing mental health in temporary employees was not deteriorated in the COVID‐19 pandemic. 4 , 5 Other job characteristics and personal circumstances may be more important factors regarding vulnerability in response to COVID‐19. As recent studies have suggested, regardless of the employment contract present, “working” provided a better outcome compared to unemployment or loss of job in the COVID‐19 pandemic.…”

“…As recent studies have suggested, regardless of the employment contract present, “working” provided a better outcome compared to unemployment or loss of job in the COVID‐19 pandemic. 3 , 4 , 5 A possible reason for finding no significant association with newly developed suicidal ideation may be that the pandemic has been more burdensome based on personal background (e.g., age, family) or industry than on employment status. Although the economic situation has been worsened, it is unclear whether temporary employees are unique to be disadvantaged workers in such a situation.…”

“… 4 A cohort study among 2351 Japanese general workers showed that longitudinal changes of depression scores were not significantly different between permanent and non‐permanent workers. 5 Contrary to that, another cohort study showed that working in a part‐time job was associated with depressive symptoms under the pandemic. 3 The mental health status among temporary employees is thus still undetermined.…”

Building Emotional Resilience: Japanese Women’s Religious and Spiritual Coping Strategies in the Time of COVID-19

“…The socio-economic status of respondents-all of them self-reported middle-class women-should also not be underestimated as a key factor in women's solution-seeking behaviour. Recent surveys on the impacts of socio-economic factors on psychological and emotional health in the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in the general population in Japan show that low-income and precarious employment are negatively related to helpseeking behaviours, especially among younger women (Nagasu et al 2021;Sugaya et al 2021;Yamamoto et al 2020), also affecting their mental health (Saito et al 2021). This is identified as a category that is less inclined to seek emotional care and support (Ueda et al 2020).…”

Analysis of the World Unemployment Rate and Solutions in the Context of COVID-19

“…Blustein et al believe that people without a stable job will experience chronic stress and uncertainty [3], which makes them face the risk of mental health, physical and relationship problems. In fact, a study conducted in Japan shows that the mental health of non-permanent workers would not be negatively affected after the Japanese government declared the state of emergency [7]. However, unemployment is an important factor affecting the mental health of ordinary workers.…”