THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF UNEMPLOYMENT - THE EVIDENCE

Mathers and Schofield, from the Australian Institute of Health and Wel fare, review recent studies, including Australian research, on the hea lth effects of unemployment and the mechanisms by which unemployment c auses adverse health outcomes, The relationship is complex: ill-health also causes unemployment, and confounding factors include socioeconom ic status and lifestyle, However, longitudinal studies with a range of designs provide reasonably good evidence that unemployment itself is detrimental to health and has an impact on health outcomes - increasin g mortality rates, causing physical and mental ill-health and greater use of health services.