Factors Associated With Job Precariousness and Material Deprivation, and Their Association With Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION

COVID-19 severely disrupted labor markets and living conditions, intensifying job precariousness and material deprivation. We examined whether pre-pandemic mental health conditions predicted socio-economic adversity during the first pandemic year and whether resilience buffered changes in mental health.

METHODS

We analyzed a nationally representative longitudinal cohort of Spanish adults assessed in two assessments: November 2019 (T0, pre-pandemic) and November-December 2020 (T1). Major depressive episode (MDE), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB) were assessed at T0; job precariousness and material deprivation were measured at T1. Weighted multivariable regression models tested (i) associations between T0 mental health and T1 socio-economic adversity and (ii) associations between T1 adversity and changes in mental health symptoms, including resilience interactions.

RESULTS

Pre-pandemic GAD and STB were associated with higher odds of job precariousness during the pandemic, whereas MDE was not significant after adjustment. Job precariousness was associated with small reductions in depressive, anxiety, and STB symptoms, while material deprivation was associated with increased depressive symptoms; higher resilience attenuated the deprivation-depression association.

CONCLUSIONS

Pre-existing anxiety and suicide-related symptoms may identify individuals more likely to report job precariousness during socio-economic shocks. Preventing material deprivation and strengthening resilience may help reduce downstream depressive burden during crises.