Negative Employment Changes During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Psychological Distress
Timothy A. Matthews, Liwei Chen, Zhuo Chen, Xuesong Han, Lu Shi, Yan Li, Ming Wen, Donglan Zhang, Hongmei Li, Dejun Su, Jian Li
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We examined associations of negative employment changes during the COVID-19 pandemic with mental health in a national sample of U.S. workers, and whether the associations differed by race. METHODS: Data were from the Health, Ethnicity, and Pandemic Study, a cross-sectional survey. The effects of negative employment changes on psychological distress in 1510 workers were examined via linear regression, and stratified analyses were conducted across racial subgroups. RESULTS: After adjustment for covariates, compared to workers with no change in employment, those who experienced permanent job loss had the highest psychological distress (β and 95% CI = 3.27 [1.89, 4.65]). Permanent job loss had the greatest effect on psychological distress in Blacks and Asians. CONCLUSION: Negative employment changes related to the pandemic may have deleterious impacts on workers' mental health, with disproportionate effects on racial minorities.