Did financial interventions offset the impact of financial adversity on mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic? A longitudinal analysis of the UCL COVID-19 Social Study

Abstract

Background It remains unclear whether financial support interventions (e.g., furlough, mortgage freezes, foodbanks, Universal Credit) provide protection against the negative impact of financial adversity on mental health. Methods Data were from adults who took part in the UCL COVID -19 Social Study between 1 April 2020 and 4 April 2022 who had variability over time in depression (N = 27,297) and anxiety symptoms (N = 26,452). Fixed-effects Poisson regressions examined the associations between an index of financial adversity (e.g., job or income loss) with depression and anxiety symptoms and controlled for other adversities and loneliness. Interaction terms between financial adversity and having used i) any, ii) charity based, iii) government based, iv) work based, and v) other forms of financial supports were examined. Results Experiencing financial adversity had a negative impact on mental health. Only charity based support (e.g., foodbanks) consistently attenuated the impact of financial adversity on mental health, whilst work based support exacerbated the impact. Government based support only attenuated the impact of facing limited financial adversity on depression symptoms. Conclusion Findings suggest that most financial interventions are insufficient for alleviating mental health difficulties resulting from financial adversity.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Funding Statement

The Nuffield Foundation [WEL/FR-000022583], the MARCH Mental Health Network funded by the Cross-Disciplinary Mental Health Network Plus initiative supported by UK Research and Innovation [ES/S002588/1], and the Wellcome Trust [221400/Z/20/Z and 205407/Z/16/Z].

Author Declarations

I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.

Yes

The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

Ethical approval for the COVID-19 Social Study was granted by the University College London Ethics Committee [approval number 12467/005].

I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals.

Yes

I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).

Yes

I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.

Yes

留言 (0)

沒有登入
gif