SynthesisBMC public health2016
Mental health outcomes in times of economic recession: a systematic literature review.
Synthesis in BMC public health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 258 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
258 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- What Is the Impact of Unemployment as an Adverse Experience? Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Pooled it
- Mental and social wellbeing and the UK coronavirus job retention scheme: Evidence from nine longitudinal studies.Social science & medicine (1982) · 2022Pooled it
- Economic change and population health: lessons learnt from an umbrella review on the Great Recession.BMJ open · 2022Pooled it
- Global prevalence and burden of depressive and anxiety disorders in 204 countries and territories in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Lancet (London, England) · 2021Pooled it
- Global prevalence of mental health issues among the general population during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Scientific reports · 2021Pooled it
- Client experiences of a task-shifting supported self-management intervention for depression in Vietnam.BMC health services research · 2024Trial
- How do Mental Health Service Users and Staff Think the Cost-of-living Crisis Has Impacted Mental Health in England? A Qualitative Analysis.Community mental health journal · 2026Article
- Societal worries and mental disorders in the general population: insights from the Netherlands Mental Health Survey and Incidence Study (NEMESIS).BMC public health · 2026Article
- Article
- Economic Cynicism, COVID-19 and Deaths of Despair in Rural Ohio Counties.Sociology of health & illness · 2026Article
- Distress signal: Self-storage facilities as sentinel spaces for community stress and mental health.Wellbeing, space and society · 2026Article
- Observational
- Changes in Cross-Sectional Associations Between Cannabis Use and Anxiety, Depression, and Suicidality in a Nationally Representative Sample of Canadians From 2012 to 2022: Évolution des relations transversales entre la consommation de cannabis et la dépression, l'anxiété et les idées suicidaires au sein d'un échantillon représentatif de Canadiens à l'échelle nationale, de 2012 à 2022.Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie · 2026Article
- The interplay of actual and perceived motor competencies, physical activity and well-being: a child-centered approach.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Socio-economic position and healthy ageing across the life course: a systematic review of longitudinal studies.GeroScience · 2026Review
- Psychological impact of COVID-19 on employees in a primary healthcare group in Singapore and recommended strategies to improve employees' psychological well-being.Singapore medical journal · 2026Article
- Mental health during the Lebanese economic crisis: Association between financial well-being, anxiety, and depression.The International journal of social psychiatry · 2026Article
- For reducing premature adult mortality in India, education matters more than income.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- Family vulnerability, disruption, and parent mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of family psychology : JFP : journal of the Division of Family Psychology of the American Psychological Association (Division 43) · 2026Article
- Learning the hard way: What COVID-19 teaches us about the social determinants of mental health among the urban poor.BMC public health · 2026Article
198 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundCountries in recession experience high unemployment rates and a decline in living conditions, which, it has been suggested, negatively influences their populations' health. The present review examines the recent evidence of the possible association between economic recessions and mental health outcomes.
methodsLiterature review of records identified through Medline, PsycINFO, SciELO, and EBSCO Host. Only original research papers, published between 2004 and 2014, peer-reviewed, non-qualitative research, and reporting on associations between economic factors and proxies of mental health were considered.
resultsOne-hundred-one papers met the inclusion criteria. The evidence was consistent that economic recessions and mediators such as unemployment, income decline, and unmanageable debts are significantly associated with poor mental wellbeing, increased rates of common mental disorders, substance-related disorders, and suicidal behaviours.
conclusionOn the basis of a thorough analysis of the selected investigations, we conclude that periods of economic recession are possibly associated with a higher prevalence of mental health problems, including common mental disorders, substance disorders, and ultimately suicidal behaviour. Most of the research is based on cross-sectional studies, which seriously limits causality inferences. Conclusions are summarised, taking into account international policy recommendations concerning the cost-effective measures that can possibly reduce the occurrence of negative mental health outcomes in populations during periods of economic recession.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.