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The great recession, youth unemployment and inequalities in psychological health complaints in adolescents: a multilevel study in 31 countries

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Journal of Public Health

Abstract

Objectives

Little is known about the impact of recessions on young people’s socioeconomic inequalities in health. This study investigates the impact of the economic recession in terms of youth unemployment on socioeconomic inequalities in psychological health complaints among adolescents across Europe and North America.

Methods

Data from the WHO collaborative ‘Health Behaviour in School-aged Children’ (HBSC) study were collected in 2005/06 (N = 160,830) and 2009/10 (N = 166,590) in 31 European and North American countries. Logistic multilevel models were used to assess the contribution of youth unemployment in 2009/10 (enduring recession) and the change in youth unemployment (2005–2010) to adolescent psychological health complaints and socioeconomic inequalities in complaints in 2009/10.

Results

Youth unemployment during the recession is positively related to psychological health complaints, but not to inequalities in complaints. Changes in youth unemployment (2005–2010) were not associated with adolescents’ psychological health complaints, whereas greater inequalities in complaints were found in countries with greater increases in youth unemployment.

Conclusions

This study highlights the need to tackle the impact of increasing unemployment on adolescent health and health inequalities during economic recessions.

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Acknowledgments

The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study is an international survey conducted in collaboration with the WHO Regional Office for Europe. The current International Coordinator of the study is Candace Currie, CAHRU, University of St Andrews, Scotland. The data bank manager is Oddrun Samdal, University of Bergen, Norway. The data collection in each country was funded at the national level. We are grateful for the financial support offered by the various government ministries, research foundations and other funding bodies in the participating countries and regions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Medical Sociology, Medical Faculty, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle (Saale), Germany

    Katharina Rathmann, Timo-Kolja Pförtner & Matthias Richter

  2. Institute of Medical Sociology, Health Services Research, and Rehabilitation Science, Faculty of Human Sciences and the Faculty of Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    Timo-Kolja Pförtner

  3. Hertie School of Governance Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Klaus Hurrelmann

  4. Department of Economics, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali, Cali, Colombia

    Ana M. Osorio

  5. Health Psychology Unit, Institute of Public Health, Medical Faculty, P. J. Safarik University in Kosice, Kosice, Slovak Republic

    Lucia Bosakova

  6. Department of Quantitative Methods, Faculty of Business Economy in Kosice, University of Economics in Bratislava, Kosice, Slovak Republic

    Lucia Bosakova

  7. Olomouc University Social Health Institute (OUSHI), Palacky University in Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    Lucia Bosakova

  8. Institute for Health and Social Policy and Douglas Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada

    Frank J. Elgar

Authors
  1. Katharina Rathmann
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  2. Timo-Kolja Pförtner
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  4. Ana M. Osorio
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  5. Lucia Bosakova
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  7. Matthias Richter
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Correspondence to Katharina Rathmann.

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Rathmann, K., Pförtner, TK., Hurrelmann, K. et al. The great recession, youth unemployment and inequalities in psychological health complaints in adolescents: a multilevel study in 31 countries. Int J Public Health 61, 809–819 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-016-0866-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-016-0866-0

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