研究:“大衰退”與長期心理健康問題有關(guān)

研究:經(jīng)濟“大衰退”與長期心理健康問題有關(guān)

Millions of Americans are still recovering from the “Great Recession” of 2008. But it’s not just their finances that took a hit.

數(shù)百萬美國人仍在從2008年的“大衰退”中復(fù)蘇。但受打擊的不僅僅是他們的財務(wù)狀況。

Those who suffered financial hardships due to the ruinous economic downturn are also more likely to be depressed, anxious and use drugs now, according to new research published in Clinical Psychological Science.

《臨床心理科學(xué)》發(fā)表的一項新研究顯示，那些因經(jīng)濟衰退而遭受經(jīng)濟困難的人，現(xiàn)在也更容易抑郁、焦慮和吸毒。

“Individuals who experienced even a single recession impact still had higher odds of nearly all of the adverse mental health outcomes we examined — including clinically significant symptoms of depression, generalized anxiety, panic and problems with drug use,” said lead researcher Miriam Forbes of Macquarie University in Sydney. “And these odds were higher still in specific sociodemographic groups who suffered marked losses during the recession or without a strong safety net.”

尼麥考瑞大學(xué)的首席研究員Miriam Forbes說:“即使經(jīng)歷過一次經(jīng)濟衰退的人，幾乎所有我們調(diào)查的不良心理健康結(jié)果的幾率都更高，包括臨床顯著的抑郁癥、廣泛性焦慮、恐慌和藥物使用問題。”“在經(jīng)濟衰退期間或沒有強大安全網(wǎng)的特定社會人口群體中，這種可能性更高。”

The “Great Recession” began in December 2007 and ended in June 2009. Forbes and her former colleague at the University of Minnesota, Robert F. Krueger, pulled data from the ongoing Midlife in the United States survey of adults ages 25 to 75; specifically, they looked at statistics gathered three years before the beginning and after the end of the recession.

“大衰退”始于2007年12月，止于2009年6月。福布斯和她在明尼蘇達大學(xué)的前同事羅伯特克魯格(robert f.krueger)，從美國正在進行的一項針對25歲至75歲成年人的中年調(diào)查中提取了數(shù)據(jù);具體來說，他們研究了經(jīng)濟衰退開始前和結(jié)束后三年收集的數(shù)據(jù)。

Some earlier studies have actually shown a small decrease in negative mental health symptoms between the period prior to the recession and in the years after.

一些早期的研究表明，在經(jīng)濟衰退前和衰退后的幾年中，負面的心理健康癥狀出現(xiàn)了小幅下降。

However, Forbes and Krueger found that those who experienced hardships as a result of the imploding economy — such as bankruptcy, home loss and foreclosure and job layoff — were more likely to report symptoms of depression, anxiety, panic disorder and substance abuse.

然而，《福布斯》和克魯格發(fā)現(xiàn)，那些因經(jīng)濟崩潰而經(jīng)歷困境的人——如破產(chǎn)、喪失房屋贖回權(quán)、喪失抵押品贖回權(quán)和失業(yè)——更有可能出現(xiàn)抑郁、焦慮、恐慌癥和藥物濫用的癥狀。

Some people in the survey felt the impacts more than others. For example, those without a college degree were more likely to suffer anxiety, specifically about their job prospects.

參與調(diào)查的一些人比其他人更能感受到這種影響。例如，那些沒有大學(xué)學(xué)位的人更容易焦慮，尤其是對他們的工作前景。

And people who were single or lived alone and experienced housing hardships more often turned to drugs, they found.

他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，那些單身或獨自生活、經(jīng)歷過住房困難的人更傾向于毒品。

Interestingly, those who were at a financial advantage prior to the recession were also particularly affected. Their housing and personal finance issues drove more of them to anxiety and drug use compared with their less-advantaged counterparts — suggesting that their drastic fall from financial favor left a big psychological scar.

有趣的是，那些在經(jīng)濟衰退前擁有財務(wù)優(yōu)勢的人也受到了特別的影響。與條件較差的同齡人相比，他們的住房和個人財務(wù)問題導(dǎo)致更多的人陷入焦慮和吸毒——這表明他們在財務(wù)上的失寵，給他們留下了巨大的心理創(chuàng)傷。

“Our study provides a new perspective on the impact of the Great Recession,” Forbes said. “By looking at individuals’ mental health and experiences of the recession, we could see a different picture.”

福布斯說：“我們的研究，為大衰退的影響提供了一個新的視角。”“通過觀察個人的心理健康狀況和經(jīng)濟衰退的經(jīng)歷，我們可以看到一幅不同的畫面。”

She also says their findings suggest that these mental health outcomes may have made their financial situations worse and that therapy could lessen the psychological “burdens” and also “stimulate faster economic recovery.”

她還說，他們的發(fā)現(xiàn)表明，這些心理健康結(jié)果可能使他們的財務(wù)狀況變得更糟，而心理治療可以減輕心理“負擔(dān)”，并“刺激更快的經(jīng)濟復(fù)蘇”。

Forbes concluded, ominously, that people should keep their findings in mind given that “The next period of economic contraction might begin as early as 2020.”

《福布斯》最后不祥地指出，鑒于“下一階段的經(jīng)濟收縮最早可能在2020年開始”，人們應(yīng)該牢記自己的發(fā)現(xiàn)。