Predictors of Population Mental Health in Montana: An Occupational Justice Perspective

Abstract

Population-level analyses can demonstrate occupational injustices and their impact on population health. The objective of this article is to examine whether population-level occupational factors are related to the mental health of Montanans. We used linear regression models of the 2021 Montana County Health Rankings to examine the association between occupational justice and mental health, adjusting for covariates. Predictor variables were access to exercise, insufficient sleep, healthy food access, food insecurity, proximal jobs, and social support. Outcome variables were frequent mental health distress and poor mental health days. Adjusted models showed significant associations between both insufficient sleep (β = 0.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.0.11, 0.40]; Table 2) and food insecurity (β = 0.32, 95% CI = [0.22, 0.43]) and poor mental health days z scores. Adjusted models also showed significant associations between insufficient sleep (β = 0.18, 95% CI = [0.10, 0.26]) and food insecurity (β = 0.19, 95% CI = [0.12, 0.25]) and frequent mental health distress. Future research should study whether targeting sleep and food security can enhance Montanans’s mental health.