Mental health is worse for ‘citizens in need’

The mental health of people in the UK newly reliant on benefits and other financial support during the coronavirus pandemic has worsened the most, according to research.

The “largest and most worrying increases” in mental distress have been in groups who started off in the weakest financial position or who have required more cash help throughout the crisis, the National Centre for Social Research (Natcen) found.

It analysed data collected from more than 12,000 people aged 16 and over between April 2020 and January 2021 as part of its Understanding Society Covid-19 survey.

One group it identified was ‘financial help-seekers’ – people who needed financial support other than the furlough scheme, such as the Self-employment Income Support Scheme or a new claim for Universal Credit.

It found that 42% of those who sought financial help reported being in poor mental health at the beginning of this year, up from 29% before the crisis.

Members were most likely to be female (64%) and to have children (41%), while people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds were twice as likely as white people to require financial support.

Dr Neil Smith, Natcen head of analysis, said: “We can observe increased mental distress across the population as a consequence of the pandemic, but people faced with growing financial insecurity have been far harder hit than the financially secure.

“With the economic fallout of the pandemic expected to continue, the mental health of people relying on employment and benefits support during the crisis should not be ignored.”