Research Article

Employment Precariousness and Poor Mental Health: Evidence from Spain on a New Social Determinant of Health

Table 2

Prevalence of poor mental healtha (percentage and 95% CI) according to age, immigrant status, educational attainment, occupational social class, and unemployment the preceding year. Waged and salaried women and men, Spain 2004-05.

Women Men
%(95% CI)%(95% CI)

All22.5(20.9–24.1)29.4(27.8–31.0)
P value0.000
Age group
 16–24 years19.8(15.0–24.5)26.1(20.6–31.5)
 25–34 years26.8(24.0–29.6)27.2(24.2–30.2)
 35–44 years21.1(18.4–23.9)29.8(26.9–32.7)
 45–54 years19.9(16.2–23.5)32.5(29.0–36.1)
 55–65 years15.6(9.4–21.7)30.1(24.1–36.1)
p linear trend0.010 0.026
Immigrant status
 Spanish21.9(21.9–41.4)29.1(27.4–30.8)
 Immigrant33.1(33.1–47.2)32.7(26.3–39.1)
P value0.001 0.279
Educational attainment
 Primary or less25.1 (22.1–28.2)32.7 (30.0–35.5)
 Secondary22.6 (19.6–25.5)30.1 (27.0–33.2)
 Trade school18.7 (15.0–22.4)21.7 (17.9–25.5)
 University21.9 (18.9–25.0)27.9 (24.2–31.6)
p linear trend0.008 0.029
Occupational social class
 SC I + II20.1(16.5–23.6)27.7(23.7–31.7)
 SC III19.7(16.8–22.6)25.1(21.6–28.7)
 SC IV + V24.7(22.5–26.9)31.1(29.0–33.2)
p linear trend0.010 0.014
Unemployment preceding year
 No 20.8(19.2–22.4)28.3(26.6–30.0)
 Yes39.8(33.6–46.1)46.3(38.9–53.7)
P value0.000 0.000
Quintiles employment precariousness
 0.00–0.6114.3(11.3–17.3)23.9(20.8–27.0)
 0.62–0.8514.3(11.4–17.3)23.3(20.2–26.5)
 0.86–1.1219.7(16.4–23.0)29.0(25.4–32.5)
 1.13–1.5526.1(22.5–29.7)30.0(26.1–34.0)
 1.56–4.039.5(35.2–43.9)50.9(45.9–56.0)
p linear trend0.000 0.000

mental health was defined according to the Spanish reference norm as a score below the 25th percentile for the individual’s sex and age (18–24; 25–34; 35–44; 45–54; and 55–64 years). Cut-off scores for women were 60, 63.2, 60, 56, and 52, respectively. Cut-off scores for men were 68, 68, 68, 68, and 64, respectively. Subjects aged 16 or 17 ( ) were assigned the reference value of the 18–24 age group; respondents aged 65 ( ) were assigned the reference value of the 55–64 age group.
CI: confidence interval.