The Impact of Economic Recessions on Depression, Anxiety, and Trauma-Related Disorders and Illness Outcomes—A Scoping Review

Abstract

In the wake of a global economic recession secondary to the COVID-19 pandemic, this scoping review seeks to summarize the current quantitative research on the impact of economic recessions on depression, anxiety, traumatic disorders, self-harm, and suicide. Seven research databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science: Core Collection, National Library of Medicine PubMed, PubMed Central, and Google Scholar) were searched for keywords returning 3412 preliminary results published since 2008 in Organisation for Economic Coordination and Development (OECD)nations. These were screened by both authors for inclusion/exclusion criteria resulting in 127 included articles. Articles included were quantitative studies in OECD countries assessing select mental disorders (depression, anxiety, and trauma-/stress-related disorders) and illness outcomes (self-harm and suicide) during periods of economic recession. Articles were limited to publication from 2008 to 2020, available online in English, and utilizing outcome measures specific to the disorders and outcomes specified above. A significant relationship was found between periods of economic recession and increased depressive symptoms, self-harming behaviour, and suicide during and following periods of recession. Results suggest that existing models for mental health support and strategies for suicide prevention may be less effective than they are in non-recession times. It may be prudent to focus public education and medical treatments on raising awareness and access to supports for populations at higher risk, including those vulnerable to the impacts of job or income loss due to low socioeconomic status preceding the recession or high levels of financial strain, those supporting others financially, approaching retirement, and those in countries with limited social safety nets. Policy makers should be aware of the potential protective nature of unemployment safeguards and labour program investment in mitigating these negative impacts. Limited or inconclusive data were found on the relationship with traumatic disorders and symptoms of anxiety. In addition, research has focused primarily on the working-age adult population with limited data available on children, adolescents, and older adults, leaving room for further research in these areas.

Macroeconomics and health: Understanding the impact of a declining economy on health outcomes of children and young adults in South Africa

“…The declining economy worsens depression by 19 percent and traumatic stress by 30 percent in South Africa. Such findings concur with the recent review article, where it was reported that economic decline worsens depression and traumatic stress cases ( Guerra & Eboreime, 2021 ).…”

Depression and Self-Esteem Among Afghan School-Going Adolescents

“…According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Taliban's return to Afghanistan was followed by failure of public services and increased food insecurity [23]. Previous studies suggest that factors such as economic recession [24] and unemployment [25] are associated with higher rates of depression.…”

Young graduates and economic recession: Lessons from the pandemic to prevent the (re)incidence of mental health symptoms

“…[2][3][4][5] Empirical studies point to an association between economic recession and symptoms of mental health disorders, especially depression, self-harming behaviour, and suicide. 6 However, higher education institutions not only struggle to endow graduates with employability skills but also fail to provide the psychological resources required for a complex and difficult world of work. Such resources are crucial to deal with stressful events, manage expectations, and reduce or avoid disappointment.…”

“…Research shows that new graduates entering the labour market during an economic recession suffer large, negative, and persistent consequences, notably high unemployment rates, earning losses, and lower expectations of career progression 2–5 . Empirical studies point to an association between economic recession and symptoms of mental health disorders, especially depression, self‐harming behaviour, and suicide 6 …”