A1 Journal article (refereed)
The effects of COVID-19-era unemployment and business closures upon the physical and mental health of older Europeans : Mediation through financial circumstances and social activity (2023)

Settels, J., & Böckerman, P. (2023). The effects of COVID-19-era unemployment and business closures upon the physical and mental health of older Europeans : Mediation through financial circumstances and social activity. SSM : Population Health, 23, Article 101419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101419

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Settels, Jason; Böckerman, Petri

Journal or series: SSM : Population Health

eISSN: 2352-8273

Publication year: 2023

Publication date: 18/05/2023

Volume: 23

Article number: 101419

Publisher: Elsevier BV

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101419

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/87559

Abstract

COVID-19-era lockdown policies resulted in many older persons entering unemployment, facing financial difficulties and social restrictions, and experiencing declining health. Employing the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe's first COVID-19 module (summer 2020) (N = 11,231) and the Karlson-Holm-Breen method for decomposition of effects within non-linear probability models (logistic regression modelling), we examined associations of pandemic-era lost work with older Europeans' (50–80 years of age) self-assessed health, depressive symptoms, and anxiety symptoms, and mediation through households' difficulties making ends meet, loneliness, and curtailed face-to-face contact with non-relatives. We find that lost work was associated with detriments in all three health outcomes. Total mediation was 23% for worsened self-assessed health, 42% for depressive symptoms, and 23% for anxiety symptoms. In all cases, combined mediation through the two social activity variables was approximately twice the magnitude of mediation through household financial difficulties. This evidence highlights the extent of employment's value for friendship formation and sustenance, and social activity, during the pandemic-era social restrictions. This might be accentuated among older persons because of the social constrictions often concomitant to advancing age. These results emphasize that the social correlates of lost employment, beyond the financial concomitants, should receive thorough research and policy attention, perhaps especially for older adults during public health crises.

Keywords: unusual conditions; COVID-19; economic effects; social effects; older people; unemployment; social relations; self-rated health; mental health

Free keywords: health; COVID-19; lost work; social activity; financial circumstances; aging

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

VIRTA submission year: 2023

JUFO rating: 1