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Moderation of the association between COVID-19-related income loss and depression by receipt of financial support : Repeated cross-sectional surveys of young adults in Canada and France (2020–2021)

British Columbia Centre on Substance Use; BC Centre for Disease Control; Centre for Gender and Sexual Health Equity

Background: To mitigate the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on financial resources, governments and family/friends mobilized financial support interventions (e.g., emergency aid funds) and assistance. However, little is known about how financial assistance alleviated mental health problems. This study aimed to investigate the moderating effect of financial support from the government or from family/friends on the association between income loss and depression among young adults. Methods: Two online cross-sectional surveys among young adults ages 18–29 living in Canada and France were conducted in 2020 (n = 4,511) and 2021 (n = 3,329). Moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms were measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (cut-off score: ≥10). Two logistic regression models were performed for each survey with an interaction term between income loss and financial support (government or family/friends modeled separately), controlling for demographics. Results: Overall, half reported depressive symptoms (2020/2021: 53.5%/45.6%), and over a third lost income (2020/2021: 10.2%/11.6% all income, 37.7%/21.6% some income). In 2020, 40.6% received government financial support (17.7% in 2021) while family/friends support was received by 12% (in both surveys). In both surveys, among those who received governmental financial support, income loss was associated with depression, whether participants lost all their income (e.g., 2020: Adjusted Odds Ratios (AOR) 1.75, 95% Confidence Interval [1.29–2.44]), or some of their income (e.g., 2020: AOR 1.45 [1.17–1.81]). However, among those who received family/friends financial support, income loss was no longer significantly associated with depression in both cycles, whether participants lost all their income (e.g., 2020: AOR 1.37 [0.78–2.40]), or some of their income (e. g., 2020: AOR 1.31 [0.86–1.99]).

Article

eng

Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library

10.14288/1.0427261

Applied Science, Faculty of; Medicine, Faculty of; Non UBC; Medicine, Department of; Nursing, School of; Population and Public Health (SPPH), School of

10.1016/j.ssmph.2023.101340

Faculty; Postdoctoral; Graduate

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