scholarly journals The psychological costs of unsustainable housing commitments

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 1027-1036 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARK P. TAYLOR ◽  
DAVID J. PEVALIN ◽  
JENNIFER TODD

Background. The extended recession and stagnant housing market in the 1990s following the boom of the late 1980s resulted in more than half a million housing repossessions. This study explores the impact of unsustainable housing commitments on psychological well-being. We test the hypotheses that housing payment problems and housing arrears have adverse impacts on heads of households' psychological well-being over and above those caused by financial hardship more generally.Method. Data came from the British Household Panel Survey 1991–2003 and the samples for analysis consist of: (1) 5651 male head of households producing 26618 person-year observations, and (2) 2534 female head of households producing 9091 person-year observations. Summary statistics and multivariate, fixed effects regression models are used. Mental health was measured by the 12-item General Health Questionnaire.Results. For male heads of households housing payment problems and entering arrears have significant detrimental effects on mental well-being and for female heads of households longer-term housing payment problems and arrears have significant detrimental effects on mental well-being. The sizes of these effects are in addition to and larger in magnitude than those associated with financial hardship more generally. The net effects appear to be relatively stable over the time of the panel data.Conclusions. This study provides evidence that housing payment problems have independent psychological costs over and above those associated with general financial hardship. The magnitude of the effect is similar to that shown for marital breakdown and job loss.

Author(s):  
Paul Wesley Thompson

Financial hardship is a phenomenon which mediates many other factors in life regardless of age group one of many is well-being. Well-being is a multi-disciplinary term. This paper will investigate existing literature on the effect of financial hardship on well-being using systematic review to minimize the biases. The data will be systematically searched with following databases: Wiley-online library, Google scholar, JSTOR, Tandfonline and Emerald. The present study is a systematic review of English language research of 2010 to 2020 research papers on financial hardship and well-being. The databases used in the research are Wiley Online Library, Google Scholar with keywords financial hardship, financial pressure, financial challenges, stress, wellbeing, anxiety, psychological well-being. 81 studies were excluded and 12 studies were selected after reviewing the title and abstract of 93 studies based on the PRISMA. The inclusion and exclusion criteria allow studies of 2010 to 2021 to be considered. Fewer data was present in the subject of wellbeing and financial stress. However, the results show impact of both variables. Financial pressure leads to poor wellbeing and other factors such as lack of social support, unhealthy family environment and dept can robust the impact. The research makes a unique new contribution in research, lending support for policy, academic theory, new contributions to current literature not found elsewhere, especially mental health management policy.


BMJ Open ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. e021533
Author(s):  
Michael McLaughlin ◽  
Mark R Rank

ObjectivesIn order to improve health outcomes, the federal government allocates hundreds of billions of annual dollars to individual states in order to further the well-being of its citizens. This study examines the impact of such federal intergovernmental transfers on reducing state-level infant mortality rates.SettingAnnual data are collected from all 50 US states between 2004 and 2013.ParticipantsEntire US population under the age of 1 year between 2004 and 2013.Primary and secondary outcome measuresState-level infant mortality rate, neonatal mortality rate and postneonatal mortality rate.ResultsUsing a fixed effects regression model to control for unmeasurable differences between states, the impact of federal transfers on state-level infant mortality rates is estimated. After controlling for differences across states, increases in per capita federal transfers are significantly associated with lower infant, neonatal and postneonatal mortality rates. Holding all other variables constant, a $200 increase in the amount of federal transfers per capita would save one child’s life for every 10 000 live births.ConclusionsConsiderable debate exists regarding the role of federal transfers in improving the well-being of children and families. These findings indicate that increases in federal transfers are strongly associated with reductions in infant mortality rates. Such benefits should be carefully considered when state officials are deciding whether to accept or reject federal funds.


1992 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 261-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eero Lahelma

The relationship between unemployment and mental well-being was studied in 703 Finnish women and men who were originally employed in industry (manufacturing). A population survey with a follow-up measurement was carried out in 1983 and 1984. Mental well-being was measured by a 12-item version of the General Health Questionnaire. The association between unemployment and mental ill-health proved to be a strong one. Cross-sectional analyses and analyses on the improvement of mental well-being were made. The impact of employment status on mental ill-health, as well as its improvement, was controlled for by means of logistic regression analysis (GUM). Several variables included in the design did not alter the main result, apart from the fact that the impact of unemployment was stronger among men than among women. The impact of unemployment proved to be independent and direct. The author compares these results with other studies that have used a similar approach, and discusses the significance of paid work in developed capitalist societies in an understanding of the adverse impacts of unemployment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Ranieri ◽  
Fabiana Fiasca ◽  
Federica Guerra ◽  
Enrico Perilli ◽  
Antonella Mattei ◽  
...  

Background: Mammoplasty is the most common surgery used for breast augmentation (aesthetic plastic) and breast reconstruction (disease-related plastic) in women who have been diagnosed with and surgically treated for regional breast cancer with modified radical mastectomy. This study aims to examine the long-term effects of mammoplasty on the psychological well-being of women.Methods: Participants were 44 women aged 30–50 years (mean = 40.4 ± 5.9). They were divided into two groups based on the purpose of the breast surgery they underwent [augmentation surgery (AS) vs. reconstruction surgery (RS)] and the time that had elapsed since their surgery (≤3 vs. >3 years).Results: Our findings suggest that women who underwent AS reported a decline in their psychological well-being over time. The women who had undergone AS ≤3 and >3 years did not show any differences in emotional functioning, with the exception of the BREAST-Q scores on the satisfaction with breasts subscale. We examined the impact of mammoplasty on the satisfaction levels and well-being of women who had undergone RS (after MRM). They were less satisfied with their breasts than those who belonged to the AS group, confirming our hypothesis. However, this was true only among those who had undergone surgery ≤3 years earlier.Conclusions: In conclusion, our findings underscore the need to provide psychological support to those who have undergone breast AS and RS. Additionally, this study implies the need for personalized psychological interventions to improve the emotional adaptation process and enhance women's mental well-being.


Author(s):  
Xiaoyan Liu ◽  
Pei Hwa Goh ◽  
Wei Xu ◽  
Jingjing Zhang

The present study aims to investigate how dispositional mindfulness affects the mental well-being of cancer patients through the way they perceive stress. A total of 182 moderate and advanced gastrointestinal cancer patients volunteered to complete the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Results showed that perceived stress significantly mediated the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and all dimensions of the mental well-being as captured by the GHQ (i.e. anxiety/depression, social dysfunction, and loss of confidence), and perceived stress was positively correlated with all the dimensions of mental well-being. Results of the Structural Equation Model showed that the model fit the data very well (χ2/df = 1.72,RMSEA = 0.063 (95% CI = 0.014 ~ 0.103), CFI = 0.984, TLI = 0.970, SRMR=0.041). Further analyses showed that dispositional mindfulness predicted all the dimensions of psychological well-being. Specifically, higher levels of dispositional mindfulness predicted reduced subjective perceptions of stress, which in turn predicted lower levels of anxiety/depression, social impairment, and loss of confidence. This study indicated a possible mechanism of intervention focused on improving mindfulness capability. Future work is encouraged to investigate the long-term influence of dispositional mindfulness on perceived stress and psychological well-being in cancer patients with other types of cancer.


Author(s):  
Malathi Velamuri ◽  
Steven Stillman

This paper examines the impact of being a victim of violent or property crime on labour market outcomes and general well-being using longitudinal data from the nationally representative Household Income and Labour Dynamics of Australia (HILDA) survey. We estimate fixed effects regression models that examine changes in outcomes for individuals before/after victimisation relative to changes in outcomes over time for non-victims. Our results highlight considerable heterogeneity in the causal impact of crime victimisation: (I) the impacts of violent crime victimisation are stronger and more wide-ranging than those of property crime victimisation; (2) male victims of violem crime experience poorer employment prospects following victimisation; (3) older victims of violent crime report a deterioration in mental health for two years after the event; (4) women face reduced, persistent prospects of marriage/co-habitation following crime victimization; and (5) there is strong evidence of a negative impact of victimisation on life satisfaction measures but these effects do not persist.


Author(s):  
Maria Chiara Fastame ◽  
Ilaria Mulas ◽  
Valeria Putzu ◽  
Gesuina Asoni ◽  
Daniela Viale ◽  
...  

AbstractThe effect of the COVID-19 on the physical and mental health of Italian older individuals displaying signs of cognitive deterioration has not been deeply investigated. This longitudinal study examined the impact of COVID-19 lockdown measures on the psychological well-being and motor efficiency of a sample of Italian community-dwellers with and without cognitive decline. Forty-seven participants underwent instrumental gait analysis performed in ecological setting using wearable sensors, and completed a battery of tasks assessing cognitive functioning and psychological well-being, before and after the full lockdown due to the COVID-19 spreading. A series of Multivariate Analyses of Variance (MANOVAs) documented that the superior gait performance of the cognitively healthy participants exhibited before the COVID-19 spread, vanished when they were tested at the end of the lockdown period. Moreover, before the outbreak of the COVID-19, cognitively healthy participants and those with signs of cognitive decline reported similar levels of psychological well-being, whereas, after the lockdown, the former group reported better coping, emotional competencies, and general well-being than the participants displaying signs of cognitive decline. In conclusion, the full COVID-19 outbreak had a significant impact on the mental and motor functioning of older individuals with and without signs of cognitive deterioration living in Italy.


2021 ◽  
pp. sextrans-2020-054768
Author(s):  
Iain Hyndman ◽  
Diarmuid Nugent ◽  
Gary George Whitlock ◽  
Alan McOwan ◽  
Nicolò Girometti

ObjectivesThe COVID-19 pandemic and its related restrictions have affected attendance to and delivery of UK sexual healthcare services (SHS). We surveyed the impact on sexual behaviour of men having sex with men (MSM) to inform future SHS provision.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional, anonymous, web-based survey among HIV-negative MSM at high risk of HIV infection who attended 56 Dean Street, a sexual health and HIV clinic. The survey was conducted over a 7-day period in August 2020. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, sexual behaviour and related mental well-being experienced during lockdown (defined as 23 March–30 June 2020) were extracted. Categorical and non-categorical variables were compared according to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) use.Results814 MSM completed the questionnaire: 75% were PrEP users; 76% reported they have been sexually active, of which 76% reported sex outside their household. 75% reported fewer partners than prior to lockdown. Isolation/loneliness (48%) and anxiety/stress (27%) triggered sexual activity, and 73% had discussed COVID-19 transmission risks with their sexual partners. While 46% reported no change to emotions ordinarily experienced following sex, 20% reported guilt for breaching COVID-19 restrictions. 76% implemented one or more changes to their sexual behaviour, while 58% applied one or more steps to reduce COVID-19 transmission during sex. 36% accessed SHS and 30% reported difficulties in accessing testing/treatment. Of those who accessed SHS, 28% reported an STI diagnosis. PrEP users reported higher partner number, engagement in ‘chemsex’ and use of SHS than non-PrEP users.ConclusionsCOVID-19 restrictions had a considerable impact on sexual behaviour and mental well-being in our survey respondents. High rates of sexual activity and STI diagnoses were reported during lockdown. Changes to SHS provision for MSM must respond to high rates of psychological and STI-related morbidity and the challenges faced by this population in accessing services.


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