Thesis: Unemployment and other modern crises clearly undermine mental health – middle-aged men in Finland particularly affected

Modern structural crises clearly undermine mental health. One of the significant crises affecting mental health in Finland and around the world is unemployment, according to a recent doctoral thesis published by the University of Oulu.

Doctor of Sciences Saqib Amin studied the relationship between unemployment and mental health in different Finnish municipalities between 2002 and 2019 as part of his research in economics.

The study found that when the local unemployment rate rises, residents are prescribed more antidepressants than previously and require more psychiatric care.

The phenomenon particularly affects men in their prime working years, aged 25–64. According to the study, a one percentage point increase in their unemployment increased psychiatric inpatient stays by as much as 8.7 percent. The share of antidepressant users increased by 0.28 percentage points.

”In traditional Finnish industrial communities, a man’s identity and self-esteem are still strongly linked to economic productivity and his role as a breadwinner. The sudden loss of a job shakes that identity and increases vulnerability to anxiety, depression and serious psychiatric disorders”, Amin says.

The effects of unemployment on mental health were strongest in the traditional industrial centres of Eastern and Northern Finland—such as Kainuu, North Karelia, and Lapland—as well as industrial towns in Western and Southern Finland, including Satakunta, Kymenlaakso, and parts of Pirkanmaa.

”These areas have historically had a great deal of heavy industry and forestry industry. They are also more vulnerable to the uncertainty caused by globalisation than diverse metropolitan areas such as Helsinki.”

Middle-aged men are less likely than women to seek primary healthcare services. As a result, their burden goes unnoticed in early-stage surveys and primary healthcare registers.

”The deterioration of their mental health may later manifest itself in serious physical health conditions, long-term transitions to disability pensions, substance dependence and higher suicide mortality than in other groups”, Amin ponders.

As research material, Amin used register data from Statistics Finland and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. It covered 98 per cent of the Finnish population.

The study’s findings show that economic policy is fundamentally public health policy.

”Services aimed at preventing mental health disorders, mental health screening and crisis support should be included in the services provided by local employment offices, targeted at industrial workers affected by structural redundancies.”

In his doctoral thesis, Amin also used international datasets to model the impact of globalisation and climate change on mental health. Their effects are particularly evident in low and middle income countries.

Economic globalisation often initially creates new opportunities and has a positive impact on mental health. However, if economic development becomes uncertain, the positive effects cease.

The study also found that heat caused by climate change and rising greenhouse gas emissions increase mental health disorders. The ecological burden is greatest in countries where healthcare is inadequate.

”Addressing mental health in the context of climate change requires tackling the root causes of climate instability, as they are interconnected.”

Text: Anne Ignatius