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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1440403

Unemployment and Mental Health: A Global Study of Unemployment's Influence on Diverse Mental Disorders

Provisionally accepted
Yang Yang Yang Yang 1Lisi Niu Lisi Niu 2*Saqib Amin Saqib Amin 3Iftikhar Yasin Iftikhar Yasin 4*
  • 1 Shenzhen Pingle Orthopedic Hospital, Shenzhen, China
  • 2 Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, Henan Province, China
  • 3 University of Oulu, Oulu, Northern Ostrobothnia, Finland
  • 4 Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Globally, one in five individuals faces unemployment, which substantially increases their risk of developing mental disorders. Understanding the relationship between unemployment and specific mental health outcomes is crucial for formulating effective policy interventions.This study examines the relationship between unemployment and mental disorders across 201 countries from 1970 to 2020. Using a fixed-effects model, we analyze the impact of unemployment on various mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, drug use, and eating disorders, with a focus on demographic variations.The analysis reveals a significant positive association between unemployment and mental disorders, particularly anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Moreover, distinct patterns emerge, linking unemployment to higher rates of drug use and eating disorders in specific demographics. These findings underscore the critical interplay between socio-economic factors and mental health, highlighting the need for proactive strategies to address the dual burden of unemployment and mental health disorders.Targeted interventions, such as employment support programs and accessible mental health services, are essential to improve global mental health outcomes. These initiatives can also alleviate the economic burden of unemployment by boosting workforce participation and productivity. Longterm economic gains may offset the increased healthcare expenditures associated with mental health support.

    Keywords: Unemployment, Mental Health, Globalization, Institutions, Per capita income, Urbanization, Democracy

    Received: 13 Jun 2024; Accepted: 29 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Yang, Niu, Amin and Yasin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Lisi Niu, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, Henan Province, China
    Iftikhar Yasin, Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.