The lesser evil: Bad jobs or unemployment? A survey of mid-aged Australians

Broom, Dorothy; D’Souza, Rennie M.; Strazdins, Lyndall; Butterworth, Peter; Parslow, Ruth; Rodgers, Bryan

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.02.003

Cited by 124 publications

(130 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…217 In addition, not all employment is equal, and low-paid work which lacks meaning for the individual may be no better for health and well-being than long-term sickness. 218 The networks we mapped contained contacts, places and activities that were mostly viewed as positive or neutral for well-being. The study team reflected on this and it was likely that, as our focus was health and networks to support health and well-being, adverse or difficult relationships were less readily brought to the fore through the interview questions.…”

Section: Data Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving community health networks for people with severe mental illness: a case study investigation

Pinfold

Sweet

Porter³

et al. 2015

Health Services and Delivery Research

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IntroductionPolicy drivers in mental health to address personal recovery, stigma and poor physical health indicate that new service solutions are required. This study aimed to understand how connections to people, places and activities were utilised by individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) to benefit health and wellbeing.MethodsA five-module mixed-methods design was undertaken in two study sites. Data were collected from 150 network-mapping interviews and 41 in-depth follow-up interviews with people with SMI; in-depth interviews with 30 organisation stakeholders and 12 organisation leaders; and 44 telephone interviews with practitioners. We undertook a three-stage synthesis process including independent lived experience feedback, and a patient and public involvement team participated in tool design, data collection, analysis and write-up.ResultsThree personal network types were found in our study using the community health network approach: diverse and active; family and stable; formal and sparse. Controlled for other factors we found only four variables significantly associated with which network type a participant had: living alone or not; housing status; formal education; long-term sickness or disability. Diagnosis was not a factor. These variables are challenging to address but they do point to potential for network change. The qualitative interviews with people with SMI provided further understanding of connection-building and resource utilisation. We explored individual agency across each network type, and identified recognition of the importance and value of social support and active connection management alongside the risks of isolation, even for those most affected by mental illness. We identified tensions in personal networks, be that relationships with practitioners or families, dealing with the impact of stigma, or frustrations of not being in employment, which all impact on network resources and well-being. The value of connectedness within personal networks of people, place and activity for supporting recovery was evident in shaping identity, providing meaning to life and sense of belonging, gaining access to new resources, structuring routines and helping individuals ‘move on’ in their recovery journey.Health-care practitioners recognised that social factors were important in recovery but reported system-level barriers (workload, administrative bureaucracy, limited contact time with clients) in addressing these issues fully. Even practitioners working in third-sector services whose remit involved increasing clients’ social connection faced restrictions due to being evaluated by outcome criteria that limited holistic recovery-focused practices. Service providers were keen to promote recovery-focused approaches. We found contrasts between recovery ideology within mental health policy and recovery practice on the ground. In particular, the social aspects of supporting people with SMI are often underprioritised in the health-care system. In a demanding and changing context, strategic multiagency working was seen as crucial but we found few examples of embedded multisector organisation partnerships.ConclusionWhile our exploratory study has limitations, findings suggest potential for people with SMI to be supported to become more active managers of their personal networks to support well-being regardless of current network type. The health and social care system does not currently deliver multiagency integrated solutions to support SMI and social recovery.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Health Services and Delivery Research programme.

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Section: Data Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving community health networks for people with severe mental illness: a case study investigation

Pinfold

Sweet

Porter³

et al. 2015

Health Services and Delivery Research

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“…In particular the jobs lone mothers do are often poor quality and low paid (Edin and Lein 1997;Evans and Harkness 2004). Poor quality jobs can be as bad for mental health as unemployment (Broom et al 2006) and this may be limit the mental health benefits to work (OECD 2012). Working lone mothers also likely to face greater ''role strain'' from balancing work and parenthood as they do not have a second adult to The Effect of Employment on the Mental Health of Lone… share the responsibility of childcare with.…”

Section: The Relationship Between Employment and Mental Healthmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Employment on the Mental Health of Lone Mothers in the UK Before and After New Labour’s Welfare Reforms

Harkness

2015

Soc Indic Res

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Since 1999 a series of reforms have been introduced to the UK welfare system with the aim of increasing rates of lone parent employment. Increased employment was expected not only to reduce rates of lone parent poverty but to provide wider benefits, including improvements in lone parents' mental health. Yet for lone mothers there is very little evidence on how work influences mental health. Using data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) between 1991 and 2008 this paper assesses how lone mothers' mental health, measured in the BHPS using the General Health Questionnaire, is influenced by employment and how this relationship changed over the period of welfare reform. A range of panel data models are estimated and the results and compare the results for lone mothers are compared to those for mothers with partners.

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“…Further, reduced access to primary care for these highly cost-effective target populations will likely be hidden in terms of overall use of GP services by supplier induced demand, [7][8] with over-servicing of populations that GPs assess are still able to afford services to fill list and target income. That is, shortfalls arising in GP services and incomes from reduced use by lower socioeconomic and reticent populations will likely be made up by inducement of demand and over-servicing of those who can.…”

Section: The Expected Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…6 Cuts in regulatory oversight functions could see deregulation of working conditions widen the gap between good and poor quality jobs, with poor quality jobs often worse for health than no job at all. 7 The health of the 16,500…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A fair go for health? Not at the moment

Friel¹

2014

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

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The lesser evil: Bad jobs or unemployment? A survey of mid-aged Australians

Cited by 124 publications

References 30 publications

Improving community health networks for people with severe mental illness: a case study investigation

Improving community health networks for people with severe mental illness: a case study investigation

The Effect of Employment on the Mental Health of Lone Mothers in the UK Before and After New Labour’s Welfare Reforms

A fair go for health? Not at the moment

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