A new study found that though recession increases an individual's death risk, it decreases overall population mortality rates.
Previous studies have found that unemployment due to recession increases a person's risk of death. However, more comprehensive researches has highlighted contradictory findings, stating that recession actually decreases mortality rates.
To gain a better understanding of these contradicting statements, researchers from Drexel University conducted a new study. They used data from the U.S. Department of Labor and annual survey data of the years 1979-1997 from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. This information helped them estimate how the risk of death depends on both the employment conditions of the individuals and the contextual economic conditions surrounding them, as indicated by the unemployment rate of the state in which the individual is living.
Researchers noted that job loss increases the probability of death by 73 percent. However, this risk affects only a minority of people who lose their job during recessions. Alternatively, there are many healthy consequences of recessions including a drop in traffic fatalities and reduced atmospheric pollution. This decreases overall population mortality rates. The researchers found that each percentage-point increase in the individual's state unemployment rate reduces the hazard of death by approximately 9 percent, which is about the equivalent of making a person one year younger.
"The increase in the risk of death associated with being unemployed is very strong, but it is restricted to unemployed persons, who generally are a small fraction of the population, even in a severe recession," lead author José Tapia said in a press statement. "Compared with the increase in the risk of death among the unemployed, the decrease of the mortality risk associated with a weakening economy is small, but the benefit spreads across the entire adult population. The compound result of both effects is that total mortality rises in expansions and falls in recessions."
The current research didn't look into the underlying cause of these phenomena. However, they pointed out that unemployed increases the risk of depression and stress - two disorders that increase risk of death in an individual. However, the overall population can benefit from a recession when it comes to health because an economic slowdown automatically reduces traffic and air pollution.
"Other potential causes for the decrease of mortality risk during recessions could be changes in levels of stress and risk of injury in the working environment," said Tapia. "During economic expansions, work is done at a faster pace, more employees are commuting, workers have less average sleep, and so on - all of which can be linked to higher risk of heart attacks, vehicle crashes, industrial injuries and enhanced circulation of germs.
The current study was published online in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
