More than Welfare: The Experiences of Employed and Unemployed Ontario Basic Income Recipients

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ferdosi ◽  
Tom McDowell
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Self ◽  
Basic Income ◽  
Pilot Site ◽  
Housing Stability ◽  
Policy Tool ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Use Of Health Services

AbstractThis article explores the experiences of employed and unemployed Ontario Basic Income recipients in the Hamilton and Brantford pilot site. Integrating data from surveys and interviews, the self-reported outcomes of both groups are summarized. These outcomes pertain to employment, physical health, mental health, use of health services, food security, housing stability, financial well-being and social activities. The article highlights the difference in the degree of improvements between recipients who were working before and during the pilot versus those who were not employed at both times. Its broad conclusion is that both groups reported significant benefits, but it was recipients who were continuously employed that reported the greatest improvements. This suggests that basic income could be an important policy tool to improve the lives of low-income and precarious workers in Ontario and perhaps elsewhere.

A descriptive study of the prevalence of psychological distress and mental disorders in the Canadian population: comparison between low-income and non-low-income populations

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-149 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Caron ◽  
A. Liu
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Psychological Distress ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Canadian Community Health Survey ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
High Psychological Distress

Objective This descriptive study compares rates of high psychological distress and mental disorders between low-income and non-low-income populations in Canada. Methods Data were collected through the Canadian Community Health Survey – Mental Health and Well-being (CCHS 1.2), which surveyed 36 984 Canadians aged 15 or over; 17.9% (n = 6620) was classified within the low-income population using the Low Income Measure. The K-10 was used to measure psychological distress and the CIDI for assessing mental disorders. Results One out of 5 Canadians reported high psychological distress, and 1 out of 10 reported at least one of the five mental disorders surveyed or substance abuse. Women, single, separated or divorced respondents, non-immigrants and Aboriginal Canadians were more likely to report suffering from psychological distress or from mental disorders and substance abuse. Rates of reported psychological distress and of mental disorders and substance abuse were much higher in low-income populations, and these differences were statistically consistent in most of the sociodemographic strata. Conclusion This study helps determine the vulnerable groups in mental health for which prevention and promotion programs could be designed.

scholarly journals Furloughs, Teleworking and Other Work Situations during the COVID-19 Lockdown: Impact on Mental Well-Being

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 2898
Author(s):  
Israel Escudero-Castillo ◽  
Fco. Javier Mato-Díaz ◽  
Ana Rodriguez-Alvarez
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Self ◽  
Exogenous Shock ◽  
Work Location ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Market Status ◽  
Mental Well Being ◽  
Labour Market Status

As a consequence of the Spring 2020 lockdown that occurred in Spain due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people lost their jobs or had to be furloughed. The objective of this study is to analyse the influence of the latter changes in labour market status on psychological well-being. For this purpose, an ad-hoc questionnaire featuring socio-demographic and mental health criteria was created. Granted that the pandemic can be viewed as an exogenous shock, the bias caused by the bidirectional problems between the work situation and mental well-being can be tackled. Results indicate that the lockdown exerted a greater negative effect on the self-perceived well-being of unemployed and furloughed persons than on those in employment. Moreover, among those in continuous employment, teleworkers experienced a lesser degree of self-perceived well-being post lockdown as compared to those people remaining in the same work location throughout the COVID-19 crisis. Finally, the lockdown provoked worse effects on the self-perceived well-being of women as compared to men, a result that appears to be related to gender differences in household production. In conclusion, these results could be especially relevant given that the evolution of the pandemic is having ongoing effects on employment and, therefore, on the mental health of workers.

Avoiding Psychiatric Disability Overdiagnosis, Part 1: General Disability and Occupational Disability—Going Beyond Medical Impairment Assessments

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-7
Author(s):  
Fabien Gagnon ◽  
Les Kertay
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Work Disability ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychiatric Disability ◽  
Disability Assessment ◽  
Health Work ◽  
Occupational Disability ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Mental Health Work

Abstract Claims of occupational psychiatric disability have increased considerably over the past 20 years. To avoid psychiatric disability overdiagnosis, it is important to improve the clinical assessment of mental health work disability. This article discusses general disability issues and their impact on individual well-being, social participation, and frequently associated poverty. It defines the difference between impairment assessment and disability assessment, explores three common disability models, and raises issues about psychiatric disability and its potential overdiagnosis.

Partners’ Educational Pairings and Subjective Well-Being in China: An Analysis Using the Diagonal Mobility Model

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2110380
Author(s):  
Xiaohang Zhao ◽  
Skylar Biyang Sun
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Sex Role ◽  
General Social Survey ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mobility Model ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Psychological Benefits ◽  
Educational Homogamy ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Chinese General Social Survey

Using pooled data from the Chinese General Social Survey in 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2015, this study investigated the relationship between partners’ educational pairings and subjective well-being among Chinese. Diagonal mobility models were employed to avoid conflating the effect of each partner’s education and the effect of the difference in education between partners. The findings reveal that regarding the well-being consequences of partners’ educational pairings, the hypothesis of satisfaction with marrying up outweighs the hypothesis of educational homogamy advantages and the hypothesis of sex roles. Specifically, for both women and men, persons marrying up in education are more likely to feel happy than their educationally homogamous counterparts. Moreover, educational hypergamy confers more psychological benefits to women in high-income communities than those in low-income communities. In addition, the earnings difference between partners plays a part in men’s SWB. Husbands who earn less than their wives are more likely to be unhappy than those whose earnings are 1–1.5 times those of their wives, suggesting that sex-role norms are at work. Our study contributes to a deeper understanding of the well-being consequences of educational heterogamy.

Toward the Pursuit of What People Value

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-73
Author(s):  
Mendiola Teng-Calleja ◽  
Jose Antonio R. Clemente ◽  
Ma. Ligaya Menguito ◽  
Donald Jay Bertulfo
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Good Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Living Wage ◽  
The Good Life ◽  
Initial Attempt ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Research And Policy ◽  
The Capability Approach

Abstract. This study sought to initiate conversations on the utility of the capability approach and a psychological lens in approximating a living wage. We put forth the concept of capability gap – defined as the difference between what one values and what one perceives as attainable. We used a set of valued domains of a good life that were identified based on well-being indicators in determining capability gaps. Five hundred workers (all breadwinners) belonging to households selected through stratified random sampling from purposively chosen middle- and low-income communities in the Philippines participated in the survey. From the data, we constructed a weighted capability measure that determines the capability gap, weighted by the perceived importance of each of the good life domains. We likewise derived an estimate of a living wage that yields a weighted capability that represents individuals' capabilities to achieve and pursue valued outcomes, freedoms, and entitlements. This initial attempt at estimating a living wage based on individuals' capability to achieve and pursue a good life is presented as the main contribution of the research. The limitations of the study as well as its implications to living wage research and policy are discussed.

scholarly journals Intimate Partner Violence

2013 ◽  
Vol 58 (6) ◽  
pp. E1-E15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donna E Stewart ◽  
Harriet MacMillan ◽  
Nadine Wathen
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Personality Disorders ◽  
Mental Health Professionals ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Pain Syndromes ◽  
Chronic Pain Syndromes

• IPV is an underrecognized problem that occurs in all countries, cultures, and socioeconomic groups. • IPV has an enormous impact on personal health, and economic and social well-being. • IPV may occur in heterosexual and LGBTQ relationships and may be perpetrated by either sex. • Canadian data from 1999 show about equal proportions of men and women had been victims of physical (seven and eight per cent, respectively) and psychological (18 and 19 per cent, respectively) IPV in the previous five years. • Exposure to IPV has deleterious effects on children and other family members. • Some populations are at greater risk or have special needs for IPV. These include immigrant women, Aboriginal women, LGBTQ communities, people with ALs, pregnant women, dating adolescents, older people, alcohol and other substance abusing people, low-income people, and those without a current partner (that is, IPV perpetrated by a former partner). • Mental health problems associated with IPV include depression, anxiety disorders, chronic pain syndromes, eating disorders, sleep disorders, psychosomatic disorders, alcohol and other substance abuse, suicidal and self-harm behaviours, nonaffective psychosis, some personality disorders, and harmful health behaviours, such as risk taking and smoking. As IPV is a major determinant of mental health, it is of vital importance to mental health professionals. • Physical health problems associated with IPV include death, a broad range of injuries, reproductive disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, chronic pain syndromes, fibromyalgia, poor physical functioning, and lower health-related quality of life. Sexually transmitted diseases, unwanted pregnancies and physical inactivity are also increased. • Children's exposure to IPV may have short- and long-term health impacts on the child, especially mental health effects. • Perpetrators of IPV most frequently have personality disorders, but substance abuse and other types of mental illness or brain dysfunction may also occur.

Quest and Identity within a Religious Ideological Surround

1992 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 376-388 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Watson ◽  
Ronald J. Morris ◽  
Ralph W. Hood
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Religious Orientation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Self ◽  
Personal Meaning ◽  
Personal Beliefs ◽  
Psychological Well Being ◽  
Quest Scale ◽  
Definition Of

Current controversies over religious orientation center on issues that appear to be partially nonempirical, normative, and sociological. These issues, in other words, may be ideological. In exploring this possibility, the present study had different religious orientation types evaluate items from the Quest Scale. For a group with an intrinsic commitment, a number of items proved to be antireligious in their implications while one was proreligious. This intrinsic interpretation of Quest also predicted relative mental health, including superior identity formation; and this was especially true for intrinsic subjects themselves. For no other type was the self-definition of Quest as robustly or as discriminatively linked to psychological well-being. The original Quest Scale was tied to poorer self-functioning. Overall, these data demonstrated the importance of measuring not just personal beliefs, but the personal meaning of those beliefs as well.

Research watch: Coronavirus (COVID-19), mental health and social inclusion in the UK and Ireland

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 117-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sue Holttum
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Anxiety And Depression ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Mental Well Being

Purpose This paper aims to examine recent papers on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, including implications for some of the groups of people already less included in society. Design/methodology/approach A search was carried out for recent papers on mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings Two papers describe surveys of adults in the UK and Irish Republic in the first days of lockdown. Low income and loss of income were associated with anxiety and depression. These surveys could not examine distress in Black and minority ethnicities, who have higher death rates from COVID-19. Two surveys of children and young people report distress and what can help. One paper summarises a host of ways in which the pandemic may affect mental well-being in different groups, and what might help. Another calls for research to understand how to protect mental well-being in various groups. Originality/value These five papers give a sense of the early days of the pandemic, especially in the UK. They also highlight the needs of some specific groups of people, or the need to find out more about how these groups experience the pandemic. They suggest some ways of trying to ensure that everyone has the best chance to thrive in the aftermath of the pandemic.

scholarly journals Psychosocial risk factors associated with mental health of adolescents amidst the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak

2020 ◽  
pp. 002076402097100
Author(s):  
Muhammad Syawal Amran
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Factors ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Psychosocial Risk Factors ◽  
Psychosocial Risk ◽  
Psychosocial Risks ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
At Home

Background: An outbreak of global pandemic COVID-19 profoundly affects life around the globe. Prolonged isolation, contact restriction and economic shutdown impose a deeply change to the psychosocial environment. These indicate a tendency to threaten the mental health of adolescents’ significantly. Detecting adolescents’ psychosocial risk during Pandemic COVID-19, particularly when they stay at home, may be helpful to better understand their mental health well- being. Aims: The current study aimed to explore psychosocial risk factors associated with mental health of adolescents’ in the midst of the outbreak. Method: This research uses a qualitative approach which focuses on focus group discussions interviews. This research took 6 weeks via online communication platform involving ( n = 15) adolescents from the Low Income Household. Result: The participants adolescents’ psychosocial risk experience during amidst of Outbreak Covid-19 Pandemic are composed of (1) self- conflict (develop negative thought at home, unplanned of daily activities, changing sleep pattern and irregular wake up time and massively use internet) (2) Family Members (Conflict between parent and miscommunication between siblings) (3) School (Piling up on homework, Inadequate guidance for homework and Inability to comprehend online learning). These psychosocial risk factors have caused disruption to daily life adolescents’ during outbreaks and almost inevitably trigger a spike in mental health issues. Conclusion: Overall of study emphasized that psychosocial risks are important factors that can be addressed in order to reduce mental health problem.

scholarly journals Depressive symptoms among Peruvian adult residents amidst a National Lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel A. Antiporta ◽  
Yuri L. Cutipé ◽  
Maria Mendoza ◽  
David D. Celentano ◽  
Elizabeth A. Stuart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Mental Health Diagnosis ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Health Diagnosis

Abstract Background Population health and well-being in Latin America, the current epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been severely affected during the past semester. Despite the growing evidence about the link between the pandemic, its control measures, and mental health worldwide, there is still no regional evidence of the potential mental health impact. We describe the prevalence and distribution of depressive symptoms across demographic and socioeconomic risk factors in the Peruvian population amidst a national lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Cross-sectional study conducted during the community transmission phase and national lockdown in Peru (May 4th–16th, 2020). We recorded 64,493 responses from adult Peruvian residents through an opt-in online questionnaire. All analyses were weighted using raking based on proportions of sociodemographic variables from the last Peruvian census in 2017. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was calculated using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) score of 10 or more. We identified associated demographic and socioeconomic factors by prior mental health diagnosis. Sensitivity analysis considered an alternative cut-off point for depressive symptoms of PHQ-9 ≥ 14. Results A total of 57,446 participants were included in the analytical sample. A third of the participants (n = 23,526, unweighted) showed depressive symptoms in the 2 weeks prior to the study. Participants who reported a previous mental health diagnosis doubled the sample prevalence of depressive symptoms (59, 95%CI 56.7, 61.4%) of those without a prior diagnosis. Psychosocial and functioning reactions were largely more prevalent among females and young adults. A dose-response relationship was found between household income and depressive symptoms across previous mental health diagnosis strata, being as low as 32% less in the wealthiest than the most impoverished group (PR: 0.68, 95%CI 0.58,0.79). Other critical factors associated with a higher burden of depressive symptoms were lower education level, single, unemployed, and chronic comorbidity. Conclusions An increased burden of depressive symptoms and psychosocial reactions has emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic in Peru compared to previous years. The mental health burden disproportionately affects women, the younger population, and those with low income and education. As the country eases the social distancing measures, it is crucial to use local evidence to adjust public health policies and mental health services to the renewed population needs.

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