Reciprocal relations between financial hardship, sense of societal belonging and mental health for social assistance recipients

This study assesses the extent to which reciprocal relations exist between financial hardship, sense of societal belonging and mental health for social assistance recipients. This provides crucial information on how a desired change in these outcomes may be realized, and which factors to target to improve recipients' disadvantaged situation most. In order to answer our research question, we drew on three-wave panel data (N = 348) from a social experiment in the municipality of Nijmegen, the Netherlands, which ran from December 2017 to January 2020. The data were analyzed using cross-lagged panel models. Our findings show that financial hardship and sense of societal belonging did not predict change in recipients' mental health. A better mental health at baseline, in contrast, predicted an increase in sense of societal belonging one and two years later. In addition, both a better mental health and a stronger sense of societal belonging at baseline predicted a decrease in financial hardship one year later, but this relation was not found between other waves. These findings emphasize that improving recipients’ mental health may be a promising policy strategy to improve their situation

De nieuwe volksgezondheidsexpert als gamechanger in een stevige preventie-infrastructuur [The new public health expert as gamechanger in a strong infrastructure for prevention]

De afgelopen decennia is vooral aandacht besteed aan het ontwikkelen van de inhoud van het vak van preventie en gezondheidsbevordering (GB). Er is nauwelijks geïnvesteerd in de professional zelf en in voldoende professionals om preventie en GB impact te laten hebben. De huidige complexe volksgezondheidsproblemen vragen echter om kundige professionals die weten hoe complexe vraagstukken aangepakt kunnen worden. De gamechanger voor de volksgezondheid 2030 die wij voorstellen is een netwerk van een nieuw type volksgezondheidsexperts die vanuit een collectieve benadering en gesteund door een stevige preventiestructuur collectieve impact kunnen realiseren. English abstract: In recent decades, particular attention has been paid to developing the content of the profession of prevention and health promotion (HP). Hardly any investment has been made in the professional himself and in sufficient professionals to allow prevention and HP to have an impact. However, today's complex public health problems require skilled professionals who know how to tackle complex issues. The 2030 gamechanger for public health that we propose is a network of a new type of public health experts who can realize collective impact from a collective impact approach and supported by a solid infrastructure for prevention