Curran, Emma

Ferry, Finola R

Leavey, Gerard

Rosato, Michael

English

While employment has an overall protective effect against mental ill health, evidencesuggests variation in mental health with respect to occupation types. Individuals who manage multiple roles in relation to childcare and family caregiving may be at increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes due to competing responsibilities of family and work demands. This programme of work examines mental disorder across occupation types and the association of family demands

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  Data Insights_ Mental Disorder, Occupation Type and Family Demands Authors: Dr Finola Ferry, Dr Emma Curran, Dr Michael Rosato and Professor Gerard Leavey Email: f.ferry@ulster.ac.uk Date: August 2020 While employment has an overall protective effect against mental ill health, evidence suggests variation in mental health with respect to occupation types. Individuals who manage multiple roles in relation to childcare and family caregiving may be at increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes due to competing responsibilities of family and work demands. This programme of work examines mental disorder across occupation types and the association of family demands.  What we did We linked Census data to Enhanced Prescribing Data and examined self-reported mental disorder lasting at least 12 months and any psychotropic medication use within a 12-month period. We examined the rates of mental disorder across Standard Occupational Classifications (SOCs) and how family demands might influence these. Findings are based on workers aged 18-59 enumerated in the 2011 Northern Ireland (NI) Census.  Why it matters  While employment is generally beneficial, various jobs and working conditions have been associated with stress, absenteeism and early retirement due to poor health.  The impacts on individuals, families and the economy are substantial. The UK government commissioned ‘Thriving at Work’ report (2017) outlines ‘core standards’ that should be adopted by all UK companies, including the implementation of ‘mental health at work plans’. This research programme has the potential to provide insights into this area by profiling mental health disorders across occupation types and examining the influence of family demands.  What we found Figure 1: Sub-major SOCs with the highest rates of self-reported mental disorder (%)  • There were 619,608 workers aged 18-59 identified in the 2001 Census. • Overall, 2.87% had self-reported mental health problems. • Sub-major SOCs with the highest rates of self-reported mental disorder were “transport and mobile machine operatives” (3.71%), “skilled agricultural and related trades” (3.55%) and “elementary trades and related occupations” (3.53%) 3.713.553.533.693.523.424.093.894.01T R A N S P O R T  A N D  M O B I L E  M A C H I N E  O P E R A T I V E SS K I L L E D  A G R I C U L T U R A L  A N D  R E L A T E D  T R A D E SE L E M E N T A R Y  T R A D E S  A N D  R E L A T E D  O C C U P A T I O N SOverall Males Females  Produced by the Administrative Data  Research Centre Northern Ireland | ADRC NI  www.adruk.org | @adrc_ni  Figure 2: Sub-major SOCs with the highest rates of psychotropic medication use (%)      Family demands • The likelihood of self-reported mental disorder and psychotropic medication use was lower among workers with dependent children. • Informal caregiving responsibilities was associated with reduced likelihood of self-reported mental disorder, but increased likelihood of psychotropic medication use. • Lone parenthood was also associated with an increased likelihood of psychotropic medication use.  What next? Our study provides an initial insight into self-reported mental disorder and psychotropic medication use among particular occupation types and the association of family demands. Next steps will include an examination of variation in the types of mental health disorder across occupations and more in-depth analysis of ‘risky’ occupations.   25.4623.8021.0117.7612.00 15.7226.3424.3922.58C A R I N G ,  P E R S O N A L  S E R V I C E  O C C U P A T I O N SS E C R E T A R I A L  A N D  R E L A T E D  O C C U P A T I O N SL E I S U R E ,  T R A V E L  A N D  R E L A T E D  O C C U P A T I O N SOverall Males FemalesThe Administrative Data Research Network takes privacy protection very seriously.  All information that directly identifies individuals will be removed from the datasets by trusted third parties, before researchers get to see it.  All researchers using the Network are trained and accredited to use sensitive date safely and ethically, they will only access the data via a secure environment, and all of their findings will be vetted to ensure they adhere to the strictest confidentiality standards. The help provided by the staff of the Administrative Data Research Network Northern Ireland (ADRC-NI) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) Research Support Unit is acknowledged.  The ADRC-NI is funded by the Economic and Research Council (ESRC).  The authors alone are responsible for the interpretation of the data and any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the ADRC-NI.  NISRA and Honest Broker Service data has been supplied for the sole purpose of this project. The Administrative Data Research-Northern Ireland works with partners to explore public sector datasets, seeing what linking them in new ways can reveal. We ensure the evidence and trends we spot are highlighted, so the public, civil society and decision-makers in government and beyond have access to the information they need • Overall, 17% of workers used any psychotropic medication over a 12-month period. • Use of psychotropic medication was generally higher among females. • Sub-major SOCs with the highest rates of psychotropic medication use were “caring, personal service occupations” (25.46%), “secretarial and related occupations” (23.80%) and “leisure, travel and related occupations” (21.01%). 

Data Insights- Mental Disorder, Occupation Type and Family Demands

https://pure.ulster.ac.uk/ws/files/89365171/The_relationship_between_mental_disorder_cccupation_type_and_family_demands_August_2020_.pdf

Data Insights- Mental Disorder, Occupation Type and Family Demands

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