Who is most affected by the Corona crisis? An analysis of changes in stress and well-being in Switzerland

Kuhn, Ursina; Klaas, Hannah S.; Antal, Erika; Dasoki, Nora; Lebert, Florence; Lipps, Oliver; Monsch, Gian-Andrea; Refle, Jan-Erik; Ryser, Valérie-Anne; Tillmann, Robin; Voorpostel, Marieke

doi:10.1080/14616696.2020.1839671

Cited by 61 publications

(81 citation statements)

References 22 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…As for resilience, changes experienced in the world of work did reflect on the respondents' level of concern about the gravity of situation caused by COVID-19. While unlike Kuhn et al (2020) we found no direct effect of wage reduction, having workload reduced and experiencing deterioration in work-life balance both contributed to the level of concern, as did being employed in private sector. Yet the experience of state support via wage subsidies went some way to reduce the concern.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 90%

“…More frequent or intensive income loss for the younger, low-waged, and for workers in marginal employment was a common finding in most studies that addressed the issue (Beland et al, 2020 for Canada; Holst et al for Germany, Crossley et al, 2021 for UK). Income loss might in particular incur other hardships, a linkage confirmed in this case by findings of a Swiss household panel study, suggesting that change in financial situation during the initial wave of the pandemic triggered both increased stress and life (dis)satisfaction (Kuhn et al, 2020).…”

Section: Work-related Events During the Pandemicsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…More broadly, in a three-country study extending outside Europe, employed women were identified as more likely than men to transition to work from home and reduce working hours in USA, but not in Germany or Singapore (Reichelt, Makovi and Sargsyan, 2020). Public-private employment divide was seldom explicated, but in Swiss household panel study no differences in change with respect to stress or satisfaction were identified among public sector employees compared to private (Kuhn et al, 2020). However, most studies did find the self-employed (both without and with employees) as a group that was heavily affected, being most likely to face decrease in working hours, income and security during the COVID- 19…”

Section: S O C I O L O G I J a I P R O S T O Rmentioning

confidence: 96%

See 2 more Smart Citations

All in the Same Boat? Differences in Employment Experience and Risks During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Croatia

Matković¹,

Lucić²

2021

Sip

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Experience of work amidst the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was subject to disruptions for most of the employed. According to results of the initial wave of a panel survey research (SOCRES project) conducted between August 20 and October 2 2020, analysed in this paper, six out of seven employed in Croatia encountered some of the observed workplace-related events (furlough, reduced workload, receiving state wage subsidies, working from home, disrupted work-life balance, wage reduction). We grouped the employed respondents into six segments considering epidemiological restrictions and support measures directly affecting the labour market. We examined differences in the incidence of disruptive events, in particular the disrupted work-life balance and reduction in wage and household income. We also examined differences in the perception of situation, contact with the virus, and selfreported health deterioration. Sociodemographic traits (education level, household type and composition, age, gender) and the role of wage subsidies were accounted for in explaining the variation in outcomes. Few inequalities between employment segments were found beyond those obviously arising from interventions. We found adverse effects of disruptive workplace events on earnings, perception of the situation and self-reported health deterioration. A drop in earnings occurred most often among the self-employed and disrupted work-life balance among educators and healthcare workers. Broad state support via wage subsidy amounting close to minimum wage reassured workers, yet was insufficient to compensate. The necessity of robust and effective lockdown-proof public education and care services came to fore during the initial wave of the pandemic, as all the workers had to engage in providing those within the family, leading to increasing work-life balance challenges.

show abstract

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 90%

Section: Work-related Events During the Pandemicsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: S O C I O L O G I J a I P R O S T O Rmentioning

confidence: 96%

See 1 more Smart Citation

All in the Same Boat? Differences in Employment Experience and Risks During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Croatia

Matković¹,

Lucić²

2021

Sip

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Heightened risk perception was also linked to ethnic and racial otherness, and (un)employment (Soiné et al 2020). Psychological consequences were especially dramatic following the social gradient, with a more pronounced effect among the lower educated social strata, vulnerable groups struggling with social isolation such as young adults, COVID-19 risk group members, single people, people with higher workloads (generally, women), and those with depleted socioeconomic resources (the unemployed and those who had experienced a deteriorating financial situation) (Kuhn et al 2020).…”

Section: Psychological Aspectswell-being and Resilience Vs Stress Anmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of the coronavirus crisis on European societies. What have we learnt and where do we go from here? – Introduction to the COVID volume

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The coronavirus pandemic, which first impacted European societies in early 2020, has created a twofold crisis by combining a health threat with economic turmoil. While the crisis has affected all European societies very significantly, its impact varies across countries, social groups, and societal domains. In an effort to provide a first overview of the effect of the coronavirus crisis, in this editorial we discuss contributions of 58 papers published as part of this special issue. These early research papers illustrate the varied impact of the pandemic on various areas of social life. The first group of studies in this special issue analyzes the effect of the pandemic on social inequalities with respect to gender, ethnic otherness, education, and work. A second stream of research focuses on the psychological consequences of the pandemic, especially with respect to wellbeing and resilience. Thirdly, the crisis is discussed on a societal level, in regard to welfare states, social policies, and approaches to crisis governance. In a fourth line of inquiry, several studies have analyzed the impact of the pandemic on social solidarity and cohesion. A fifth strand of research is devoted to examining the role of culture and lifestyles. This review ends with a discussion of areas for future research trajectories.

show abstract

“…Changes to working conditions due to the crisis, such as partial or full unemployment, loss of revenue and having to work primarily from home, may also have led to the COVID-19 crisis causing different psychological effects. For example, working from home may protect employees from infection with COVID-19 [1,9], and two studies from Austria and Switzerland also identified the possibility to work from home as a protective factor the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis [9,25], although in the second study this was only the case for one indicator (perceived stress measured with one question) and before adjustment for socioeconomic resources. However, working mostly from home may also lead to more social isolation and thus to increased stress.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis is higher among young Swiss men with a lower socioeconomic status: Evidence from a cohort study

et al. 2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aims The present study aimed to investigate whether the psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis varied with regards to young Swiss men’s pre-crisis level of education and socioeconomic status and to changes in their work situation due to it. Methods A cohort of 2345 young Swiss men (from 21 out of 26 Swiss cantons; mean age = 29) completed survey-based assessments shortly before (April 2019 to February 2020) and early on during the COVID-19 crisis (May to June 2020). Outcomes measured were psychological outcomes before and during the COVID-19 crisis (depression, perceived stress and sleep quality), and the fear, isolation and psychological trauma induced by it. We investigated associations between these outcomes and their predictors: pre-crisis socioeconomic status (relative financial status, difficulty paying bills, level of education), changes in work situation during the crisis (job loss, partial unemployment, working from home, change in workload) and working in contact with potentially infected people, both inside and outside the healthcare sector. For outcomes measured before and during the crisis, the analyses were adjusted for their pre-crisis levels. Results About 21% of participants changed their employment status (job loss, partial unemployment or lost money if self-employed) and more than 40% worked predominantly from home during the COVID-19 crisis. Participants with a lower relative socioeconomic status already before the crisis experienced a higher psychological impact due to the COVID-19 crisis, compared to participants with an average socioeconomic status (major depression (b = 0.12 [0.03, 0.22]), perceived stress (b = 0.15 [0.05, 0.25]), psychological trauma (b = 0.15 [0.04, 0.26]), fear (b = 0.20 [0.10, 0.30]) and isolation (b = 0.19 [0.08, 0.29])). A higher impact was also felt by participants who lost their job due to the COVID-19 crisis, the partially unemployed, those with an increased workload or those who worked mainly from home (e.g. depression b = 0.25 [0.16, 0.34] for those working 90%+ at home, compared to those not working at home). Conclusions Even in a country like Switzerland, with relatively high social security benefits and universal healthcare, the COVID-19 crisis had a considerable psychological impact, especially among those with a lower socioeconomic status and those who experienced deteriorations in their work situation due to the COVID-19 crisis. Supporting these populations during the crisis may help to prevent an amplification of inequalities in mental health and social status. Such support could help to lower the overall impact of the crisis on the mental well-being of Switzerland’s population.

show abstract

Who is most affected by the Corona crisis? An analysis of changes in stress and well-being in Switzerland

Cited by 61 publications

References 22 publications

All in the Same Boat? Differences in Employment Experience and Risks During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Croatia

All in the Same Boat? Differences in Employment Experience and Risks During the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Croatia

The impact of the coronavirus crisis on European societies. What have we learnt and where do we go from here? – Introduction to the COVID volume

The psychological impact of the COVID-19 crisis is higher among young Swiss men with a lower socioeconomic status: Evidence from a cohort study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About