Women in the United States were more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety after the Great Recession than during or before the recession, according to Rada K. Dagher, Ph.D., and her associates.
During the recession, the odds ratio for an anxiety diagnosis in women was slightly higher than it was before the downturn, but not by a significant amount. Afterward, the OR nationwide was 1.17. Women living in the Northeast and Midwest were at a significantly higher risk than were women living in the other regions of the country, with ORs of 1.43 and 1.53, respectively. Women who were unemployed or whose household income stood at less than 100% of the federal poverty level also were at a higher risk.
In contrast, depression was less likely during and after the recession in both men and women. Men had a lower risk of an anxiety diagnosis and lower Kessler 6 scores post recession as well. In addition, a low household income and unemployment had little to no effect on mental illness risk, although men living in the Northeast were more likely to suffer from depression post recession, with an OR of 1.17.
“In general, past studies suggest higher vulnerability of men to the negative mental health consequences of economic recessions. However, this may not be the case anymore given the increasingly high labor force participation rate of women and work becoming an important part of the self-identity of the majority of women,” the investigators noted.
Future studies should investigate why depression diagnoses were lower, and whether those findings can be attributed to fewer visits to mental health providers, higher levels of social support, or “more time for exercise and leisure activities,” they wrote.
Find the full study in PLoS ONE (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124103).