IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i14p8376-d858676.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Employment Industry and Occupational Class in Relation to Serious Psychological Distress in the United States

Author

Listed:
  • Lauren R. Gullett

    (Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27709, USA)

  • Dana M. Alhasan

    (Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27709, USA)

  • W. Braxton Jackson

    (Social & Scientific Systems, Inc., A DLH Holdings Company, Durham, NC 27703, USA)

  • Chandra L. Jackson

    (Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, Durham, NC 27709, USA
    Intramural Program, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA)

Abstract

Occupational characteristics may influence serious psychological distress (SPD) and contribute to health inequities; yet, few studies have examined multiple employment industries and occupational classes in a large, racially diverse sample of the United States. Using data from the National Health Interview Survey, we investigated employment industry and occupational class in relation to SPD in the overall population and by race/ethnicity, gender, age, household income, and health status. We created eight employment industry categories: professional/administrative/management, agricultural/manufacturing/construction, retail trade, finance/information/real estate, educational services, health care/social assistance, accommodation/food services, and public administration/arts/other services. We also created three occupational class categories: professional/management, support services, and laborers. SPD was measured using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale and scores ≥13 indicated SPD. We adjusted for confounders and used Poisson regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Among the 245,038 participants, the mean age was 41.7 ± 0.1 years, 73% were Non-Hispanic (NH)-White, and 1.5% were categorized as having SPD. Compared to the professional/administrative/management industry, working in other industries (e.g., manufacturing/construction (PR = 0.82 [95% CI: 0.70–0.95]) and educational services (PR = 0.79 [95% CI: 0.66–0.94])) was associated with lower SPD. Working in support services and laborer versus professional/management positions were both associated with 19% higher prevalence of SPD (95% CI: 1.04–1.35; 95% CI: 1.04–1.38, respectively). Furthermore, working in a support services or laborer versus professional/management position was associated with higher SPD in most employment industries. Industry-specific workplace interventions to equitably improve mental health are warranted.

Suggested Citation

  • Lauren R. Gullett & Dana M. Alhasan & W. Braxton Jackson & Chandra L. Jackson, 2022. "Employment Industry and Occupational Class in Relation to Serious Psychological Distress in the United States," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-26, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:14:p:8376-:d:858676
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/14/8376/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/14/8376/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Patrick Kline & Evan K Rose & Christopher R Walters, 2023. "Systemic Discrimination Among Large U.S. Employers," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 137(4), pages 1963-2036.
    2. Atanu Sengupta & Sanjoy De, 2020. "Review of Literature," India Studies in Business and Economics, in: Assessing Performance of Banks in India Fifty Years After Nationalization, chapter 0, pages 15-30, Springer.
    3. Anuli Njoku & Marian Evans, 2022. "Black Women Faculty and Administrators Navigating COVID-19, Social Unrest, and Academia: Challenges and Strategies," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-14, February.
    4. Gabriele Giorgi & Luigi Isaia Lecca & Federico Alessio & Georgia Libera Finstad & Giorgia Bondanini & Lucrezia Ginevra Lulli & Giulio Arcangeli & Nicola Mucci, 2020. "COVID-19-Related Mental Health Effects in the Workplace: A Narrative Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(21), pages 1-22, October.
    5. Donald Harris, 1978. "Capitalist exploitation and black labor: Some conceptual issues," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 8(2), pages 133-151, December.
    6. Paul Litchfield & Cary Cooper & Christine Hancock & Patrick Watt, 2016. "Work and Wellbeing in the 21st Century," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-11, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Emily Q. Ahonen & Megan R. Winkler & Anjum Hajat, 2022. "Work, Health, and the Ongoing Pursuit of Health Equity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-4, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Cristina Blasi Casagran & Colleen Boland & Elena Sánchez-Montijano & Eva Vilà Sanchez, 2021. "The Role of Emerging Predictive IT Tools in Effective Migration Governance," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(4), pages 133-145.
    2. Nicolás Ajzenman & Bruno Ferman & Sant’Anna Pedro C., 2023. "Discrimination in the Formation of Academic Networks: A Field Experiment on #EconTwitter," Working Papers 235, Red Nacional de Investigadores en Economía (RedNIE).
    3. He Tingting, 2021. "Comparing Money and Time Donation: What Do Experiments Tell Us?," Marketing of Scientific and Research Organizations, Sciendo, vol. 41(3), pages 65-94, September.
    4. Alberto Cerezo-Narváez & Andrés Pastor-Fernández & Manuel Otero-Mateo & Pablo Ballesteros-Pérez, 2022. "The Influence of Knowledge on Managing Risk for the Success in Complex Construction Projects: The IPMA Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-30, August.
    5. Ullah, Faiz & Harrigan, Nicholas M., 2022. "A natural experiment in social security as public health measure: Experiences of international students as temporary migrant workers during two Covid-19 lockdowns," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    6. Rafidah Md Noor & Nadia Bella Gustiani Rasyidi & Tarak Nandy & Raenu Kolandaisamy, 2020. "Campus Shuttle Bus Route Optimization Using Machine Learning Predictive Analysis: A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-24, December.
    7. Dominika Ehrenbergerová & Martin Hodula & Zuzana Gric, 2022. "Does capital-based regulation affect bank pricing policy?," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 61(2), pages 135-167, April.
    8. Michał Błaszczyk & Milan Popović & Karolina Zajdel & Radosław Zajdel, 2022. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Organisation of Remote Work in IT Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-14, October.
    9. Clément Cormi & Stéphane Sanchez & Valentine de l’Estoile & Laura Ollivier & Aude Letty & Gilles Berrut & Emmanuel Mulin, 2021. "Telepsychiatry to Provide Mental Health Support to Healthcare Professionals during the COVID-19 Crisis: A Cross-Sectional Survey among 321 Healthcare Professionals in France," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(19), pages 1-14, September.
    10. Athey, Susan & Karlan, Dean & Palikot, Emil & Yuan, Yuan, 2022. "Smiles in Profiles: Improving Fairness and Efficiency Using Estimates of User Preferences in Online Marketplaces," Research Papers 4071, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    11. Mohammed Khaled Al-Hanawi & Rubayyat Hashmi & Sarh Almubark & Ameerah M. N. Qattan & Mohammad Habibullah Pulok, 2020. "Socioeconomic Inequalities in Uptake of Breast Cancer Screening among Saudi Women: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of a National Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(6), pages 1-13, March.
    12. Ortega, José Luis, 2021. "How do media mention research papers? Structural analysis of blogs and news networks using citation coupling," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 15(3).
    13. Richard Grieveson & Michael Landesmann & Isilda Mara, 2021. "Potential Mobility from Africa, Middle East and EU Neighbouring Countries to Europe," wiiw Working Papers 199, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw.
    14. Mehran Shayganfard & Fateme Mahdavi & Mohammad Haghighi & Dena Sadeghi-Bahmani & Serge Brand, 2021. "Sources of Health Anxiety for Hospital Staff Working during the Covid-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-11, March.
    15. Pham, Hanh Song Thi & Petersen, Bent, 2021. "The bargaining power, value capture, and export performance of Vietnamese manufacturers in global value chains," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(6).
    16. Wafa Alwakid & Sebastian Aparicio & David Urbano, 2021. "The Influence of Green Entrepreneurship on Sustainable Development in Saudi Arabia: The Role of Formal Institutions," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-23, May.
    17. Gary Gereffi, 2020. "What does the COVID-19 pandemic teach us about global value chains? The case of medical supplies," Journal of International Business Policy, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 3(3), pages 287-301, September.
    18. E. Denny, 2022. "Long-term Energy Cost Labelling for Appliances: Evidence from a Randomised Controlled Trial in Ireland," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 45(3), pages 369-409, September.
    19. Kentaka Aruga & Md. Monirul Islam & Yoshihiro Zenno & Arifa Jannat, 2022. "Developing Novel Technique for Investigating Guidelines and Frameworks: A Text Mining Comparison between International and Japanese Green Bonds," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-17, August.
    20. David Card & Fabrizio Colella & Rafael Lalive, 2021. "Gender Preferences in Job Vacancies and Workplace Gender Diversity," NBER Working Papers 29350, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:14:p:8376-:d:858676. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.