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Table 4 Main results—mental health and unemployment (IV)

From: Feeling useless: the effect of unemployment on mental health in the Great Recession

 

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

     

In the last couple of weeks have you...

Variables

Reported good heatlh

Mental disorder diagnosed by doctor

Mental disorder reported

Summary score GHQ12 mental health survey

Lost much sleep over worry?

Felt constantly under strain?

Been able to enjoy your normal day-today activities?

Been feeling unhappy and depressed?

Unemployed

− 0.302**

0.306**

0.330**

2.093*

0.191

0.585***

0.112

0.239

 

(0.148)

(0.138)

(0.141)

(1.080)

(0.149)

(0.217)

(0.111)

(0.158)

Sample Mean

0.790

0.084

0.087

1,292

0.240

0.257

0.102

0.1408

Observations

25,544

25,544

25,544

24,914

25,082

25,055

25,061

25,060

 

(9)

(10)

(11)

(12)

(13)

(14)

(15)

(16)

 

In the last couple of weeks have you...

Variables

Been feeling reasonably happy, all things considered?

Been able to concentrate on whatever you are doing?

Felt capable of making decisions about things?

Felt that you couldn’t overcome your difficulties?

Been able to face up to your problems?

Felt that you were playing a useful part in things?

Been losing selfconfidence in yourself?

Been thinking of yourself as a worthless person?

Unemployed

0.135

0.273*

0.0672

0.251*

0.0545

0.217**

0.0627

0.0266

 

(0.112)

(0.142)

(0.0822)

(0.130)

(0.111)

(0.0906)

(0.124)

(0.0946)

Sample Mean

0.059

0.114

0.042

0.120

0.056

0.064

0.065

0.032

Observations

25,059

25,102

25,075

25,063

25,046

25,035

25,045

25,025

  1. Robust standard errors clustered at the cell level in parentheses. ***p < 0.01, **p < 0.05, *p < 0.1. In columns (4) to (16), higher values are always more negative outcomes. GHQ variables are recoded such that they take values 0 (better and as usual) and 1 (worse than usual). The summary scores is the total score and goes from 0 to 12. All regressions control for cell and year fixed effects. Cells are defined by provinces, sex, and a dummy of age < 40. Sample: waves 2006 and 2011