Did trade union presence and membership protect against deteriorating mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic?

BackgroundTrade union membership has massively declined in economically advanced economies. In addition, considerable variation exists between indicators of unionization, including trade union membership or presence rates. However, trade union membership and collective bargaining rates have recently risen in the UK. Yet, studies on the association between collective bargaining and workers’ mental health are sparse and non-existent in the current pandemic context. This study examines whether the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on UK workers’ mental health is moderated by the presence of trade unions within their industrial sector.MethodsWe used UK Household Longitudinal Study (Understanding Society) data from adults in paid employment, who participated in at least: one pre-COVID-19 Wave (9 or 10/11) and one COVID-19 wave. Primary outcome was probable psychological distress, defined by ‘caseness’ (score≥4) in the General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12). In model 1, exposure was trade union presence in workplaces, interacting with a variable splitting time between the pre and pandemic periods. In model 2, industry was added to the exposure in model 1 (3-way interaction). We fitted mixed-effects logistic regression models, adjusting for age, gender, ethnicity, UK country of residence and dummy variables for Understanding Society waves.ResultsOur final sample included 69,348 observations across 9,075 individuals. Pre-pandemic, odds of GHQ-12 caseness were almost 11% (OR:1.11 95%CI:0.98,1.26) higher for workers in unionised compared to non-unionised workplaces;however post-pandemic there was no difference between the two groups. Examining changes over the pre- to pandemic period, showed that odds of GHQ-12 caseness for those in non-unionised workplaces increased by 42% (OR:1.42 95%CI:1.23,1.64), whereas for those in unionised workplaces odds increased by 28% (OR:1.28 95%CI:1.11,1.47). Overall, industrial classification did not modify the relationship between trade union presence and GHQ-12 caseness, except for workers in Manufacturing (OR:0.61 95%CI:0.40,0.95) where we found a protective effect but the opposite stands for those in Transportation and Storage (OR:1.89 95%CI:1.18,3.03). Pre-pandemic, odds of GHQ-12 caseness for education sector workers were considerably higher in unionised workplaces (OR:1.70 95%CI:1.15,2.53) but declined during the pandemic period (OR:0.62 95%CI:1.05,2.47).ConclusionTrade union presence appears to have a protective effect for worker mental health during the pandemic. However, apart from Manufacturing, Transportation and Storage and Education, there is no evidence that type of industry modifies this effect. Therefore, policies should be designed to encourage and facilitate trade union presence across industries as they are likely to mitigate adverse mental health effects in times of extreme uncertainty.

Mental Health before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Partnership and Parenthood Status in Growing Disparities between Types of Families.

This study investigates mental health inequalities by family type and gender during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. Using data from the German Family Panel, we compared three dimensions of mental health (i.e., self-reported stress, exhaustion, and loneliness) one year before the pandemic and in spring 2020. First, two-parent families emerged as a vulnerable group, as the levels of stress and exhaustion they reported during the pandemic converged with those experienced by single parents. Second, a gender gap emerged during this global health crisis, with women, and particularly mothers, reporting significantly worse mental health compared to men in the same family type. Our findings underline the substantive value of studying mental health inequality from a multidimensional perspective and over time. Based on these findings, we urge policy makers to consider more seriously the disproportionate burdens that families, and women in particular, have been carrying due to the pandemic both directly and indirectly.

Mental Health Inequalities During COVID-19 Outbreak: The Role of Financial Insecurity and Attentional Control.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns negatively impacted the mental health of populations. This impact is not equally distributed and increases existing mental health inequalities. Indeed, government restrictions and the economic consequences of the pandemic affect more the less educated and less wealthy people. However, psychological processes implicated in this increase of mental health inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic remain unexplored. The present study (N=591) tested the role of financial insecurity and attentional control in the relation between socioeconomic status and mental health, along with the influence of trait anxiety. Based on Structural Equation Modelling, findings showed a mediation effect of financial insecurity, but not of attentional control, in the relationship between socioeconomic status and mental health. In addition, exploratory analyses suggested that financial insecurity also mediated the effect of attentional control on mental health. Results of the present research point at the importance of understanding psychological processes implicated in the effect of economic crises on mental health inequalities.