The Complex Relationship between Mental Health and Social Conditions in the Lives of Young Australians Mixing Work and Study

E Landstedt; J Coffey; J Wyn; H Cuervo; D Woodman

Journal article

The Complex Relationship between Mental Health and Social Conditions in the Lives of Young Australians Mixing Work and Study

E Landstedt, J Coffey, J Wyn, H Cuervo, D Woodman

Young | SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD | Published : 2017

DOI: 10.1177/1103308816649486

Abstract

Poor mental health in youth has been consistently shown to be rising over the past 20 years. While it is well established that mental health status is associated with social conditions, population-level perspectives make it difficult to identify the complex ways social and structural conditions impact on mental health. Based on longitudinal (mixed method) data, this exploratory longitudinal study aims to study how the life circumstances of education, work and financial situation are related to mental health in young Australians (aged 20–22). Findings show that the combination of study, work and financial hardship can be regarded as a stressor contributing to poor mental health, particularly ..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Johanna Wyn Author

Hernan Cuervo Author

Dan Woodman Author

Related Projects (1)

Young people negotiating risk and opportunity: a reassessment of transition pathways

The research will make a direct contribution to the development of more integrated policies that impact on young people across the domains o..

Grants

Awarded by Australian Research Council

Funding Acknowledgements

Support for this work was provided by the Australian Research Council (grant no. DP1094132), The Swedish Research Council Formas (grant no. 259-2012-37) and The Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (grant no. 2012-1128). The authors wish to thank the Life Patterns project participants, as well as Professor Carol S. Aneshensel for valuable inputs into the writing of this article.