Journal of Public Health

BackgroundSuicide and self-harm pose significant global public health challenges and have substantial economic implications. Recent evidence from Australia has indicated significant variations in the prevalence of suicidal behaviours and mortality among diverse populations. Aim: This study aims to examine the economic cost of suicide among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) migrants in Australia. MethodsWe evaluated the economic impact of suicide by considering years of life lost, years of productive life lost, and overall economic costs, including direct, indirect, and intangible costs. We used data on suicide deaths in 2020 from the National Coroners Information System. ResultsThe estimated annual economic cost of these suicides is $2.9 billion (in 2023 dollars). The average cost per suicide is $8.04 million for males and $9.23 million for females. The value of a statistical life year is the most significant cost driver, representing 94% of the total economic burden. LimitationThese estimates do not capture costs associated with suicidal ideation, thoughts or self-harm attempts, which may substantially increase the economic burden. ConclusionThis study emphasises the significant economic impacts of CALD suicide in Australia and highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive national suicide prevention program tailored for diverse populations.

Background and ObjectiveMental health outcomes have reportedly worsened in several countries during the Covid-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns. In the present study we examined whether suicides increased in Greece during the first wave of the pandemic. MethodsWe used daily suicide estimates from a Suicide Observatory in Greece from 2015-2020 and followed three methodologies: A descriptive approach, an interrupted time series analysis, and a differences-in-differences econometric model. ResultsWe did not find any empirical evidence of any increase in suicides during the first wave of Covid-19 and the lockdown in any of the three approaches used. ConclusionsSuicides did not seem to increase during the first wave of covid-19 and lockdown in Greece. However, this does not mean that mental health did not deteriorate, or that we will not observe an increase in suicides during the second wave. Protective factors for Greece during the first wave may include working from home (for those able to tele-work), strong family ties, advertising of a suicide hotline and income support for the unemployed.

Objective: To examine railway suicide trends and change points in Australia and across states/territories. Methods: We identified railway suicides that occurred in Australia between 2001 and 2023, using data from the National Coronial Information System. We performed negative binomial regression analysis to examine railway suicide trends and joinpoint regression analysis to identify potential change points at both national and state/territory levels. Results: Between 2001 and 2023, railway suicide in Australia declined by 54% (Incidence rate ratio [IRR] 0.98, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.97 to 0.99). Substantial declines were observed in Victoria (-62%, IRR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96 to 0.99) and New South Wales (-67%, IRR 0.97, 95% CI 0.96 to 0.99), and, to a lesser extent, in Queensland (-25%, IRR 0.97, 95% CI 0.95 to 0.99). Nationally, one change point was identified. Between 2017 and 2023, the annual percent change was -8.8% (95% CI -24.5 to -3.3). In Victoria, railway suicide rates decreased annually by 13.6% between 2018 and 2023 (95% CI -38.5 to -4.3). In Western Australia, railway suicide rates increased annually by 10.3% between 2002 and 2010 (95% CI 1.5 to 58.8) and decreased annually by 5.4% between 2010 and 2023 (95% CI -19.8 to -1.8). No change point was identified for other states/territories. Conclusion: Australian railway suicides have declined substantially, with this trend largely driven by reductions in Victoria and New South Wales. These findings demonstrate that railway suicide is preventable through multisectoral initiatives and suggest that interventions should be continued to reduce railway suicide.

Suicide mortality is a significant public health problem. Retrospective analyses can be helpful in better understanding temporal trend of suicide mortality and thus derive clues about causal and influencing factors for the course. For this paper, we compiled suicide mortality rates for eastern and western Germany from 1952 to 2022 from various data sources, stratified by sex. The period encompasses events that could substantially alter the statistically recorded rates, such as the changes in versions of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) in 1978 and 1997, but also the integration of the statistical system of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) into that of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in 1990/91. These could cause methodologically induced breaks in the compiled time series. Using Joinpoint-Jump models, we test whether at these defined points a jump, i.e., an abrupt change in the level of the time series, can be statistically detected or rejected. The empirical results show a high dynamism of suicide mortality in both parts of Germany, with very frequent increases and decreases of suicide mortality rates. However, the analyses show no evidence of methodologically induced structural breaks resulting from ICD version changes or from transferring of the GDR statistical system to that of the FRG. The analysis results support the conclusion that the compiled long time series for eastern and western German women and men are consistent. Therefore, future trend changes or shifts identified in analyses should not be attributed to methodological artefacts.

We evaluated the association between preventative social behaviour and government stringency. Additionally, we sought to evaluate the influence of additional factors including time, need to protect others (using the reported number of COVID-19 deaths as a surrogate measure) and reported confidence in government handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used repeated national cross-sectional surveys the UK over the course of 41 weeks from 1st April 2020 to January 28th, 2021, including a total of 38,092 participants. Preventative social behaviour and government stringency index scores were significantly associated on linear regression analyses (R2 =0.6468, p<0.001, and remained significant after controlling for the effect of reported COVID-19 deaths, confidence in government handling of the pandemic, and time (R2=0.898, p<0.001). Longitudinal data suggest that government stringency is an effective tool in promoting preventative social behaviour in the fight against COVID-19.

ObjectivesTo investigate the relationship between voting patterns, mortality, health, and disability across England, replicating and extending a BMJ study from 1996. DesignObservational study using data from the Office of National Statistics and the House of Commons Library, mapped to electoral constituencies. SettingEngland, UK. ParticipantsThe mortality, health and disability data come from the English population across multiple publicly available datasets and are cross tabulated against information on voting in the 2019 and 2024 UK General Election in constituencies in England. Main Outcome MeasuresAge-standardised mortality rate (ASMR) for 2021, as well as Health and Disability metrics from the UK Census of 2021. ResultsWhen observing the proportion of vote-share for Labour at the constituency level in both elections, there was a strong, positive correlation with ASMR. In the 2019 election, this was r=0.708 for males, and r=0.653 for females. For the 2024 election, this was r=0.540 for males, and r=0.539 for females. There are also correlations between Labour vote shares and measures of health, but far less substantially for measures of disability. The strongest correlations were almost unilaterally observed against the proportion of votes cast in a constituency. A marked deviation was in the 2019 election where there was also a small, but positive correlation with voting Conservative and poor health (r=0.035) and disability (r=0.081), but not for ASMR (r=-0.489 for females, r=-0545 for males). Strong, positive correlations were also observed between all covariates and vote share for the Brexit Party (2019) and Reform UK (2024). ConclusionsHealth and mortality inequalities across England remain high, with trends largely following previous political patterning. People needing to rely on state provisions likely vote for the political party they believe will be best placed to solve health and structural issues.

The paper will attempt to estimate factors which determine the variability of case fatality rates of COVID-19 across OECD countries in the recent time. The objective of the paper is to estimate the impact of government health policies on fatality rates (Case fatality rates) of COVID-19 in_OECD countries while controlling for other demographic and economic characteristics. The analysis is done using non-parametric regression method, i.e. Quantile regression. The result from quantile regression analysis shows that a policy of Austerity (health expenditure cuts) significantly increases the mortality rates of COVID-19 in OECD countries. The policy implication of the study is the need for a robust public-funded health system with wider accessibility to deal with major public health crisis like COVID-19 pandemic.

Rapid review methodology was used to identify updated economic evidence on programmes or interventions designed to enable employees to remain in and return to the workforce. In Wales, there are currently 1.48 million people in employment and 58,300 people who are unemployed. This equates to an unemployment rate of 3.8% in Wales. The evidence in this report builds on a previous Wellness in Work report (Edwards et al., 2019). This review has a broad focus to understand the economic impact of well-being within the workplace. The main section of the report is on the economic benefits of keeping the workforce well. Seventy-six papers were included from databases searched for literature published between 2017 and 2023. Economics studies were found relating to common mental health conditions; severe mental health conditions; influenza vaccination; illicit drug use; smoking and vaping; healthy eating and physical activity. A range of economic evidence of low, medium, and high quality relating to interventions targeting well-being in the workforce was identified. This included high quality evidence that interventions in the workforce for employees at risk of common mental health disorders can be cost saving for businesses and the health and social care sector. There is also high quality evidence on the cost-effectiveness of interventions focusing on healthy eating and physical activity in the workplace. Some evidence gaps were also identified. Policy and practice implicationsThere is a need to consider the evidence presented in this rapid review on cost-effective interventions to improve the wellness of the workforce in Wales. Updated policies and procedures to improve equal employment opportunities, regardless of age, gender, or disability status are needed. Economic considerationsAmongst the G7 nations, the United Kingdom (UK) is performing relatively poorly in relation to returning to pre-pandemic employment rates. This is in part caused by the long elective (planned) surgery waiting lists present in the National Health Service (NHS) right across the UK, highlighting the circular relationship between health and the economy.

The legal behaviors in using medical masks in public have been finally promulgated by the Vietnamese Government after 47 days since the WHO declared the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From a sample of 345 Vietnamese respondents aged from 15 to 47 years, this brief note found that the risk perception of COVID-19 danger significantly increases the likelihood of wearing the medical masks. In addition, there is a weak evidence about the differences in age under the COVID-19 outbreaks. More noticeably, those who use masks before COVID-19 pandemic tend to maintain their behaviors. Our results offer the insightful into Vietnamese citizens responses in terms of using medical masks; even the uses of this method are still controversial. Our results are robust by performing Exploratory Factor Analysis for five features and further regressions.

Private law childrens proceedings typically involve court disputes between parents who have separated and disagree about child arrangements, and are asking the court to make orders that determine where a child should live and with whom they should spend time. Children involved in private law, who potentially represent a vulnerable group, commonly receive less attention in policy than those in public law cases. The aim of this review was to shine a light on the wellbeing and other important characteristics or outcomes of children who are currently, or have been, involved in family law proceedings due to parental separation, to identify the support needs of these children who are often overlooked in policy. This rapid review is intended for policymakers who are responsible for policy concerning children and families as well as for family law professionals and families in private law childrens proceedings. The literature searches were conducted between June and August 2024. The included literature was published between 2001 and 2022. 22 studies reported in 25 documents were identified (8 published in academic journals and 17 in reports produced by organisations). Originated in England and Wales (n=13), Australia (n=7), Canada (n=1), New Zealand (n=1). Most studies aimed to describe the characteristics of children who are or have been involved in private family law proceedings, whilst only one compared the outcomes of such children to those in the general population. Almost all of the studies addressed mental health and emotional wellbeing. Written accounts of children, parents, and professionals described children as having anxiety, depression, anger, post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, and eating disorders, and experiencing self-harm and suicide attempts. In Wales, children with a history of involvement in private law proceedings had higher incidence of depression and anxiety than children in the general population. From the evidence, it was unclear whether the poor mental health was associated with parental separation, the court proceedings, court orders, or some other factors, but some participants attributed difficulties to unwanted court orders. Other key areas of evidence included engagement with mental health services, behaviour, development, social relationships, learning and education, and physical health. Cardiff Evidence Synthesis Collaborative were funded for this work by the Health and Care Research Wales Evidence Centre, itself funded by Health and Care Research Wales on behalf of Welsh Government.

Covid-19 and lockdowns have had spillover effects on other health outcomes. Motor vehicle collisions (MVC) are likely to have been affected by the pandemic due to, among others, less traffic volume and speeding on empty streets. This paper studies the impact of the pandemic on MVCs in Northern Ireland. Using monthly data on injuries and deaths, we find a steep decline in slight and serious injuries compared to what would have been expected in the absence of the pandemic. However, we find no effect on the number of deaths. Based on data from speeding tickets, a plausible explanation for the differential effect on the number of injuries and deaths is speeding on empty streets during the pandemic.

Suicide deaths are tragic events and those that occur in public places have an impact not only on the deceased person and their family and friends, but also on members of the public. Having up-to-date information about the effectiveness of interventions allows policymakers and organisations managing locations of concern to choose the most appropriate evidence-based suicide prevention strategies for specific locations. This rapid review was conducted to help inform the development of Welsh national guidance. The review included literature published since 2014. 24 studies were identified, and these were conducted in the UK, Australia, South Korea, Canada, USA, Denmark and Japan. The studies covered railway or underground stations, bridges, cliffs or other natural heights, tall buildings, and other types of locations. Surveillance technologies as a means of increasing opportunity for third-party intervention showed the most promise, although the evidence of their effectiveness was limited. In one study, having more closed-circuit television (CCTV) units was associated with fewer suicides at railway stations. Another study that tested a set of interventions including CCTV, infrared security fences, and a suicidal behaviour recognition and alert system, provided some promising initial descriptive data that showed an increase in the number of prevented suicides. Three other studies showed that there was no change in outcomes following the installation of interventions including surveillance technologies. Based on the assessment of the overall body of the evidence, there is a low level of confidence in the findings related to surveillance technologies because of the quality and designs of the studies. Promotion of suicide helplines as an intervention aimed at increasing opportunities for help seeking was examined in seven studies. Two studies reported that the number of suicides increased after the introduction of the intervention. Three studies, of which two examined a set of interventions including helplines, observed no change. In two studies the effect could not be determined. There is a low level of confidence in the evidence for this outcome. Other interventions evaluated included staff training; deployment of specialist staff; campaigns encouraging bystanders to intervene; a crisis cafe; blue lights at railway stations; suicide prevention messages, memorials, or notes other than official crisis line signage; spinning rollers at the top of fences that prevent gripping; and others. The effect of these interventions could not be determined with certainty but some of them appeared promising and warrant further research. More robust evaluations are needed before any of the interventions reviewed here can be recommended for implementation. To create a better evidence base, high-quality evaluations should be supported and encouraged. Future research should examine which interventions work for who and in what circumstances.

ObjectivesTo establish if there is an association between health metrics and patterns of voting in England, particularly in relation to a recently established right wing party, Reform UK, in the 2024 general election. DesignEcological cross-sectional study with linear regression SettingEngland Participants543 constituencies in England Main outcome measuresEstimated prevalence of 20 common non-communicable diseases, including obesity, COPD, asthma, type 2 diabetes and depression. ResultsConstituencies electing Reform MPs (n=5/543) had the highest prevalence of Asthma (7.44%) and COPD (2.85%). Across the country, adjusting for age, sex and deprivation, a 10% increase in the partys vote share was associated with a +0.261% (95% Confidence Interval 0.213 to 0.309) prevalence of COPD, a +0.113% (95%CI 0.026 to 0.201) prevalence of asthma and a +1.479% (95%CI 1.239 to 1.720) increase in obesity prevalence. ConclusionsAt a constituency level, poor health, in particular conditions associated with breathlessness, is associated with a greater proportion of votes for Reform UK.

Several studies based on the Synthetic Control Method (SCM) link the many COVID-19 deaths in Sweden during the spring of 2020 to its decision not to lock down. These studies predominantly rely on a limited pre-intervention period and tend to focus on the very short run neglecting that Swedish health authorities emphasized that their public health strategy was designed for the long run. This paper handles these shortcomings expanding both the pre- and post-intervention period considerably using weekly mortality rates. I find no significant effect of the absence of lockdown on COVID-19 mortality neither in the short or long run. Using the timing of the winter holiday as a proxy for the extent/spread of COVID-19 in societies before lockdown - a variable which is unobservable due to limited testing - I suggest that the effect of lockdowns found in earlier studies using Sweden as a control are likely to be partially driven by unobserved variables rather than policies.

BackgroundRisk of suicide is complex and often a result of multiple interacting factors. It is vital research identifies predictors of suicide to provide a strong evidence base for targeted interventions. MethodsUsing linked Census and population level mortality data we estimated rates of suicide across different groups in England and Wales and examine which factors are independently associated with the risk of suicide. FindingsThe highest rates of suicide were amongst those who reported an impairment affecting their day-to-day activities, those who were long term unemployed or never had worked, or those who were single or separated. Rates of suicide were highest in the White and Mixed/multiple ethnic groups compared to other ethnicities, and in people who reported a religious affiliation compared with those who had no religion. Comparison of minimally adjusted models (predictor, sex and age) with fully-adjusted models (sex, age, ethnicity, region, partnership status, religious affiliation, day-to-day impairments, armed forces membership and socioeconomic status) identified key predictors which remain important risk factors after accounting for other characteristics; day-to-day impairments were still found to increase the incidence of suicide relative to those whose activities were not impaired after adjusting for employment status. Overall, rates of suicide were higher in men compared to females across all ages, with the highest rates in 40-to-50-year-olds. InterpretationThe findings of this work provide novel population level insights into the risk of suicide by sociodemographic characteristics. Understanding the interaction between key risk factors for suicide has important implications for national suicide prevention strategies. FundingThis study received no specific funding. Research in contextO_ST_ABSEvidence before this studyC_ST_ABSPrevious studies have identified key risk factors for suicide; being male and being aged 40 to 50 years of age have the highest rates of suicide. Suicide is a major public health concern, with prevention strategies imperative to minimising events. Added value of this studyFor the first time we make population level estimates of suicide rates in England and Wales using death registration data linked to 2011 Census. Furthermore, we calculate incidence rate ratios for fully adjusted models which provide novel insights into the interplay between different risk factors. For instance, we see that people who report having day-to-day impairments risk of suicide is 2- to 3-times higher for men and women respectively compared to people who do not report day-to-day impairments, after adjusting for other characteristics such as socioeconomic status which are likely associated with impairments. Implications of this studyUnderstanding the groups most at risk of suicide is imperative for national suicide prevention strategies. This work provides novel population level insights into the risk of suicide by sociodemographic characteristics.

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic had an early impact on employment, with the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) experiencing more severe immediate labour market impacts than other Western countries. Emerging evidence from the initial phase of the pandemic highlighted that job losses were experienced more by those holding atypical contracts. Furthermore, it is predicted that this associated unemployment will increase precarious employment arrangements during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this paper we seek to answer the following research questions: O_LIWhat is the prevalence of precarious employment in Wales and are there differences in employment precariousness by socio-demographic characteristics and self-reported health status? C_LIO_LIWhich domains are the main contributing factors of precarious employment in Wales? C_LIO_LIWhich domains of precarious employment are associated with poorer health? C_LIO_LIHaves there been changes in job quality (as reflected by precarious employment domains) during the COVID pandemic (between February 2020 and Winter 2020/2021)? C_LI MethodsData was collected from a national household survey carried out in May/June 2020, with a sample of 1,032 residents in Wales and follow-up responses from 429 individuals collected between November 2020 and January 2021. To examine the associations between experiencing precarious employment or the separate domains of employment precariousness and socio-demographics and health, chi-squared analyses and logistic regression models (multinomial and binary) were used. To determine longitudinal changes in precarious employment experienced by socio-demographic groups and furlough status, McNemars test was used. The data is presented as proportion of respondents or adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals following logistic regression. ResultsOverall, pre-pandemic, one in four respondents were determined to be in precarious employment (26.5%). A higher proportion of females (28.3%) and those aged 18-29 years (41.0%) were in precarious employment in February 2020. In addition, a greater percentage of individuals who reported poorer health across all self-reported measures were in precarious employment compared to those reporting better health. Worse perceived treatment at work was twice as likely in those who reported a pre-existing condition (aOR 2.45 95% CI [1.33-4.49]), poorer general health (aOR 2.33 95% CI [1.22-4.47]) or low mental wellbeing (aOR 2.81 95% CI [1.34-5.88]) when compared to their healthier counterparts. Those calculated to have high wage precariousness were three times more likely to report low mental wellbeing (aOR 3.12 95% CI [1.54-6.32]). In the subsample, there was an observed increase in the prevalence of precarious employment, with this being attributable to lower affordability of wages and a perceived increase in vulnerability at work. The subgroups that were most impacted by this decrease in job quality were females and the 30-39 years age group. ImplicationsImproving the vulnerability and wages domains, through the creation and provision of secure, adequately paid job opportunities has the potential to reduce the prevalence of precarious employment in Wales. In turn, these changes would improve the health and wellbeing of the working age population, some of which are already adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

IntroductionDifferent countries responded differently to the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of timing and stringency of measures, and in types of policies adopted. Typically, policy makers tried to balance the capacity of healthcare systems to take care of the ill (as determined by ICU capacity, availability of nurses, etc.), with safeguarding economic output (preventing total lockdown of the labor force, etc.). Later on, also a broader array of considerations such as impact on schooling or the need for social contact were taken into account to varying degrees. The broad and relatively fast availability of data on healthcare and economic capacity, together with the political estimate that these were the most critical determinants for maintaining societal structure and compliance with the measures taken, in many countries prioritized decision-making. What received far less attention, in part due to the difficulty of obtaining reliable data in a timely manner, was the opposite question: to what extent do societal structures - besides healthcare and economic systems - contribute to a countrys resilience during catastrophes such as the pandemic? While it is commonly understood that the impact of a pandemic goes beyond its death count, perhaps the death count itself is impacted by the way societies are structured. One example of such societal structure is the contribution of volunteers during the COVID-19 response. Volunteers may contribute to well-functioning societies in different ways, both through practical actions (e.g. knitting face masks) as by strengthening societal cohesion (e.g. encouraging fellow citizens to comply with measures). This paper quantifies the association between COVID-19 mortality and the size of societal volunteering, using the unique context of the COVID-19 crisis with its intensity, sudden onset and global spread.

BackgroundGlobally, more than 700 thousand people commit suicide annually. In Sweden, the yearly incidence is between 1000 and 1500 people, which is higher than the global average. Understanding the economic burden of suicide could help highlight the importance and urgency of finding more effective treatments and preventative measures to help people suffering from suicidal thoughts and support studies evaluating the cost-effectiveness of various interventions. MethodThis national population-based cross-sectional study estimated the indirect costs associated with all suicides in Sweden between 2010 and 2019. Indirect costs were estimated using the human capital approach. Data regarding average salaries and employment rates were extracted from publicly available data in Sweden. Productivity loss was estimated over two time horizons, the year following the suicide and over a lifetime horizon. Estimations were performed in total numbers for the yearly cohorts as well as per person. ResultsBetween 2010 and 2019, 1 406 to 1 591 suicides occurred every year in Sweden. In total, approximately 26 500 productive life years are lost every year due to suicide. In 2019, the productivity loss due to all suicides in Sweden was estimated to be 44 million euros over a one-year time horizon, where 10 million euros are direct losses in local and regional authority taxes. Over a lifetime, productivity losses amounted to 935 million euros. The corresponding estimations per person were 37 and 778 thousand euros respectively over a one-year and a lifetime time horizon Over a one-year time horizon, the productivity loss was highest in the older age groups. ConclusionsThis study provides valuable insights into the economic burden of suicide on Swedish society. It underlines the potential economic benefits of effective suicide prevention, aligning with previous research highlighting the substantial returns--both monetary and in terms of human well-being--that successful prevention strategies can yield.

As of 10 July 2021, there have been over 186 million cases of COVID-19 and more than four million died as a result of this disease. The COVID-19 outbreak has also contributed to tremendous global decline in trade flows. The rapid spread of COVID-19 and the measures implemented by governments to contain the pandemic have had serious consequences for the worlds economies. While the pandemic has affected the international movement of people, goods and services, there is still limited systematic research regarding the possible associations between the COVID-19 measures on countries international trade flows. To fill this gap, we conducted regression analysis based on country level time series data from the United Nations and World Bank datasets. The results of the random effects panel regression models show that, the country import and export values are positively affected by health-related policies, while there is a negative association between stringency measures and import and export values. More specifically, school closing, stay-at-home requirements, and testing policy measures were found to have significant negative effects on countries trade values. In contrast, facial covering policies were found to have significant positive effects on countries import, export and total trade values.

IntroductionThis study estimated the extent of psychological distress among people losing work during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Australia, and examined associations between distress, nature of work loss and degree of social interaction. MethodsData were from a baseline online survey of an inception cohort recruited in the weeks following the introduction of physical distancing and movement restrictions to contain the spread of COVID-19 in Australia. These restrictions resulted in widespread unemployment and working hour reduction. Psychological distress was measured using the Kessler-6 scale. Data on nature of work loss, social interactions, demographic, job and occupational characteristics were also collected. Regression modelling was conducted to determine the relationship between work loss, social interactions and psychological distress, accounting for confounders. ResultsAmong the 551 study participants 31% reported severe psychological distress, 35% in those with job loss and 28% in those still employed but working less. Those who had significantly greater odds of high psychological distress were younger, female, had lost their job and had lower social interactions. The relationship between job loss and distress became non-significant when financial stress, and occupation were included in the regression model, but the protective effect of higher social interactions remained significant. DiscussionThere was a high prevalence of psychological distress in people losing work during the coronavirus pandemic. Age, gender, job loss and social interactions were strongly associated with distress. Interventions that promote social interaction may help to reduce distress during among people losing work during the COVID-19 pandemic.