Psychiatry Investig.
2023 Aug;20(8):730-739. 10.30773/pi.2022.0361.
COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Job Loss Impacts on Mental Health in South Korea
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Psychiatry, Korea University Anam Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- 2Department of Psychiatry, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- 3Department of Psychiatry, Myongji Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Goyang, Republic of Korea
- 4UNC Neuroscience Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
- 5Department of Social Welfare, Daegu University, Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea
- 6Department of Social Welfare, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, Cheongju University, Cheongju, Republic of Korea
- 7Department of Psychology, Keimyung University, Daegu, Republic of Korea
- 8Department of Social Welfare, Sangji University, Wonju, Republic of Korea
- 9Department of Psychology, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
- 10Department of Psychiatry, National Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- 11Department of Social Welfare, Nambu University, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
- KMID: 2545141
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.30773/pi.2022.0361
Abstract
Objective
The economic hardship brought by the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-2019) pandemic has caused mental health problems among people of different socioeconomic status (SES). As social support helps to buffer these problems, we investigated the association between job loss related to COVID-19 and depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts; the differences in the effects according to SES; and the mediating effects of social support.
Methods
The effects of COVID-19-related job loss on depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts among 1,364 people were investigated through semi-structured and self-administered questionnaires: Patient Health Questionnaire–9, General Anxiety Disorder–7, and the Functional Social Support Questionnaire. Logistic regression and subgroup analyses were performed to assess the association between job loss and mental health status, and the moderating effects of income and educational levels. Moreover, the mediating effects of perceived social support on the association between job loss and depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts were analyzed.
Results
COVID-19-related job loss increased the risk of depression and suicidal thoughts. Adults with lower income and education level were at higher risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts; perceived social support level had significant mediating effects on the association between job loss and depression/anxiety; and income level had significant moderating effects on this mediating pathway.
Conclusion
COVID-19-related job loss were likely to be significantly associated with negative mental health outcomes, especially among individuals with low income and education levels. As social support had buffering effects on such outcomes, related government policies in cooperation with the governance of communities and stakeholders must be prepared.
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