Economic Crisis in Portugal: Trajectory of the Incidence of Depression and Correlation With Unemployment

Authors

  • Inês Laplanche Coelho Unidade de Saúde Familiar do Dafundo. Agrupamento de Centros de Saúde Lisboa Ocidental e Oeiras. Oeiras.
  • Mafalda Sousa-Uva Departamento de Epidemiologia. Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge. Lisboa. Centro de Investigação em Saúde Pública. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública. Universidade NOVA de Lisboa. Lisboa.
  • Nuno Pina Unidade de Saúde Familiar Tondela. Agrupamento de Centros de Saúde Dão-Lafões. Tondela.
  • Sara Marques Unidade de Saúde Familiar Tondela. Agrupamento de Centros de Saúde Dão-Lafões. Tondela.
  • Carlos Matias-Dias Departamento de Epidemiologia. Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge. Lisboa. Centro de Investigação em Saúde Pública. Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública. Universidade NOVA de Lisboa. Lisboa.
  • Ana Paula Rodrigues Departamento de Epidemiologia. Instituto Nacional de Saúde Doutor Ricardo Jorge. Lisboa.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20344/amp.13574

Keywords:

Depression, Economic Recession, Portugal, Primary Health Care, Sentinel Surveillance, Unemployment

Abstract

Introduction: Previous studies have found an increase in the incidence rate of depression between 2007 – 2013 in Portugal, with a positive correlation with the unemployment rate, namely, in men. So, it was hypothesized that this increase is related with the situation of economic crisis. This study aimed to investigate if the correlation between unemployment rates and the incidence of depression is maintained in the post-crisis period of economic recovery in Portugal (2016 – 2018).
Material and Methods: An ecological study was carried out, using data from the General Practitioners Sentinel Network concerning depression incidence (first episodes and relapses) and data from the National Statistics Institute on unemployment rates in the Portuguese population. The correlation coefficient was estimated using linear regression and the results were disaggregated by sex.
Results: Between 2016 and 2018, there was a consistent decrease in the incidence of depression in both sexes. During the 1995 – 2018 period, a positive correlation was observed between unemployment and depression, with a coefficient of 0.833 (p = 0.005) in males and of 0.742 (p = 0.022) in females.
Discussion: The reduction in the incidence of depression in both sexes observed between 2016 – 2018 corroborates a positive correlation between unemployment and depression in the Portuguese population, previously observed between 2007 – 2013.
Conclusion: This study highlights the need to monitor the occurrence of mental illness in the Portuguese population, especially in moments of greatest social vulnerability in order to establish preventive measures, as a way to mitigate the impact of future economic crises.

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Published

2021-03-31

How to Cite

1.
Coelho IL, Sousa-Uva M, Pina N, Marques S, Matias-Dias C, Rodrigues AP. Economic Crisis in Portugal: Trajectory of the Incidence of Depression and Correlation With Unemployment. Acta Med Port [Internet]. 2021 Mar. 31 [cited 2024 Nov. 9];34(4):278-82. Available from: https://actamedicaportuguesa.com/revista/index.php/amp/article/view/13574

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Original