Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated an unpredictable economic crisis, currently affecting daily life for millions of workers. We examined the mental health impact of reduced working in a nationally representative sample of employees.

Method

We used Wave one (April 2020) of the Understanding Society UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS) COVID-19 study, with linkage to baseline mental health data from the UKHLS annual survey (January 2017- December 2018). Analysis was based on adults aged 18-65 who were employees in January/February 2020 (n=8,708), with psychological distress assessed using the GHQ-12. Logistic regression examined the mental health impact of reduced working and reasons for the reduction.

Results

Forty two percent of employees reported reduced working by April 2020, with 22% furloughed. There was no evidence of an association between reduced working per se and psychological distress in the fully adjusted model (OR=1.06, 95%CI 0.91-1.23). Those permanently laid-off (less than 1% of employees) were most vulnerable to adverse mental health effects in the early months of the pandemic (OR=3.60, 95%CI 1.55-8.37). We also found evidence of higher levels of psychological distress among those sick or self-isolating, and those with reduced working due to caring responsibilities.

Limitations

While the GHQ is a widely used and validated instrument in identifying potential psychiatric disorders, it is important to note that it does not represent a clinical assessment.

Conclusions

Longitudinal examination of employment transitions and mental ill-health related to pandemic outcomes is imperative and should help inform public health responses and ongoing government policy in supporting those adversely affected.

中文翻译：

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在 COVID-19 大流行的最初几个月减少工作对心理健康的影响：理解社会 COVID-19 研究的结果

背景

COVID-19 大流行引发了一场不可预测的经济危机，目前影响着数百万工人的日常生活。我们在具有全国代表性的员工样本中检查了减少工作对心理健康的影响。

方法

我们使用了英国理解协会家庭纵向研究 (UKHLS) COVID-19 研究的第一波（2020 年 4 月），并与 UKHLS 年度调查（2017 年 1 月至 2018 年 12 月）的基线心理健康数据相关联。分析基于 2020 年 1 月/2 月期间在职的 18-65 岁成年人 (n=8,708)，他们使用 GHQ-12 评估了心理压力。逻辑回归检验了工作减少对心理健康的影响以及减少的原因。

结果

42% 的员工表示到 2020 年 4 月工作量减少，其中 22% 的员工休假。在完全调整的模型中，没有证据表明工作本身减少与心理困扰之间存在关联（OR=1.06，95%CI 0.91-1.23）。那些永久性下岗人员（不到 1% 的员工）在大流行的最初几个月最容易受到不利的心理健康影响（OR=3.60，95%CI 1.55-8.37）。我们还发现有证据表明，生病或自我隔离的人以及因照顾责任而减少工作的人的心理压力更大。

限制

虽然 GHQ 是一种广泛使用和验证的工具，用于识别潜在的精神疾病，但重要的是要注意它并不代表临床评估。

结论

对与大流行结果相关的就业过渡和精神疾病进行纵向检查势在必行，并且应有助于为公共卫生应对措施和现行政府政策提供信息，以支持那些受到不利影响的人。