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An analysis of mental stress in Ireland, 1994-2000

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  • David (David Patrick) Madden

Abstract

The General Health Questionnair(GHQ) is frequently used as a measure of mental well-being with those people with values below a certain threshold regarded as suffering from mental stress. Comparison of mental stress levels across populations may then be sensitive to the chosen threshold. This paper uses stochastic dominance techniques to show that mental stress fell in Ireland over the 1994 to 2000 period regardless of the threshold chosen. Decomposition techniques suggest that changes in the proportion unemployed and in the protective effect of income, education and marital status upon mental health were the principal factors underlying this fall.

Suggested Citation

  • David (David Patrick) Madden, 2007. "An analysis of mental stress in Ireland, 1994-2000," Working Papers 200710, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucn:wpaper:200710
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10197/45
    File Function: First version, 2007
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nolan, Brian & Gannon, Brenda & Layte, Richard & Watson, Dorothy & Whelan, Christopher T. & Williams, James, 2002. "Monitoring Poverty Trends in Ireland: Results from the 2000 Living in Ireland survey," Research Series, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), number PRS45.
    2. Blanchflower, David G. & Oswald, Andrew J., 2008. "Is well-being U-shaped over the life cycle?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 66(8), pages 1733-1749, April.
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    5. Atkinson, A B, 1987. "On the Measurement of Poverty," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 55(4), pages 749-764, July.
    6. Clark, Andrew E & Oswald, Andrew J, 1994. "Unhappiness and Unemployment," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 104(424), pages 648-659, May.
    7. Emslie, Carol & Fuhrer, Rebecca & Hunt, Kate & Macintyre, Sally & Shipley, Martin & Stansfeld, Stephen, 2002. "Gender differences in mental health: evidence from three organisations," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 54(4), pages 621-624, February.
    8. Ronald L. Oaxaca & Michael R. Ransom, 1999. "Identification in Detailed Wage Decompositions," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 81(1), pages 154-157, February.
    9. Kakwani, N., 1990. "Testing For Significance Of Poverty Differences ; With Application To Cote D'Ivoire," Papers 90-3, New South Wales - School of Economics.
    10. Javier Gardeazabal & Arantza Ugidos, 2004. "More on Identification in Detailed Wage Decompositions," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 86(4), pages 1034-1036, November.
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    12. Richard Layte & Bertrand Maître & Brian Nolan & Dorothy Watson & James Williams & Barra Casey, 2000. "Monitoring Poverty Trends: Results from the 1998 Living in Ireland Survey," Papers WP132, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
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    Cited by:

    1. Cormac Ó Gráda, 2008. "Éirvana," Working Papers 200812, School of Economics, University College Dublin.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    General Health Questionnaire; Mental stress; Dominance (statisical); decomposition; Stress (Psychology); Stress (Psychology)--Testing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty

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