Abstract:
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused financial hardship and psychological distress among young Australians. This study investigates whether the Australian Government\'s emergency cash transfer payments-specifically welfare expansion for those unemployed prior to the pandemic (known in Australia as the Coronavirus Supplement) and JobKeeper (cash support for those with reduced or stopped employment due to the pandemic)-were associated with individual\'s level of coping during the coronavirus pandemic among those with and without mental disorders (including anxiety, depression, ADHD and autism). The sample included 902 young adults who participated in all of the last three waves (8, 9C1, 9C2) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC), a nationally representative cohort study. Modified Poisson regression models were used to assess the impact of emergency cash transfer payments on 18-22-year-old\'s self-rated coping level, stratifying the analysis by those with and without mental disorders. All models were adjusted for gender, employment, location, family cohesion, history of smoking, alcohol intake, and COVID-19 test result. Of the 902-person sample analysed, 41.5% (n = 374) reported high levels of coping, 18.9% (n = 171) reported mental disorders, 40.3% (n = 364) received the Coronavirus Supplement and 16.4% (n = 148) received JobKeeper payments. Analysing the total sample demonstrated that participants who received the JobKeeper payment were more likely to have a higher level of coping compared to those who did not receive the JobKeeper payment. Stratified analyses demonstrated that those with pre-existing mental disorder obtained significant benefit from the JobKeeper payment on their level of coping, compared to those who did not receive JobKeeper. In contrast, receipt of the Coronavirus Supplement was not significantly associated with higher level of coping. Among those with no mental health disorder, neither the Coronavirus Supplement nor JobKeeper had a statistically significant impact on level of coping. These findings suggest the positive impacts of cash transfers on level of coping during the pandemic were limited to those with a pre-existing mental disorder who received JobKeeper.
摘要:
冠状病毒(COVID-19)大流行给澳大利亚年轻人造成了经济困难和心理困扰。这项研究调查了澳大利亚政府的紧急现金转移支付-特别是大流行前失业者的福利扩张(在澳大利亚称为冠状病毒补充)和JobKeeper(对因大流行而减少或停止就业的人的现金支持)-是否与冠状病毒大流行期间有和没有精神障碍(包括焦虑,抑郁症,ADHD和自闭症)。样本包括902名年轻人,他们参加了澳大利亚儿童纵向研究(LSAC)的最后三波(8、9C1、9C2),具有全国代表性的队列研究。使用改进的Poisson回归模型评估紧急现金转移支付对18-22岁青少年自我评估应对水平的影响,对有和没有精神障碍的人进行分层分析。所有模型都根据性别进行了调整,employment,location,家庭凝聚力,吸烟史,酒精摄入量,和COVID-19测试结果。在分析的902人样本中,41.5%(n=374)报告高水平的应对,18.9%(n=171)报告了精神障碍,40.3%(n=364)收到了冠状病毒补充剂,16.4%(n=148)收到了Jobkeeper付款。分析总样本表明,与未收到JobKeeper付款的参与者相比,收到JobKeeper付款的参与者更有可能具有更高的应对水平。分层分析表明,那些先前存在精神障碍的人从JobKeeper支付中获得了显着的收益,与那些没有接受JobKeeper的人相比。相比之下,接受冠状病毒补充剂与较高的应对水平没有显着相关。在那些没有精神健康障碍的人中,冠状病毒补充剂和JobKeeper对应对水平均无统计学意义的影响。这些发现表明,在大流行期间,现金转移对应对水平的积极影响仅限于那些已经患有精神疾病并接受JobKeeper的人。