NI Assembly

Academic Institute

NI Assembly

Yes

247

There were an estimated 595,000 workers in GB suffering from stress, depression or anxiety that was caused or made worse by their work in 2017/18. This included 239,000 new cases during the year. The equivalent information is not available for Northern Ireland. However, if we apply the GB rates to NI, this would translate into a prevalence of around 16,000, with an incidence of about 6,500 new cases during the year. In GB, the highest rates of work-related stress, depression and anxiety were found in the professional occupations category, particularly amongst welfare professions, teaching professions, and nursing and midwifery professions. The lowest rates were found in skilled trades, elementary occupations and process, and plant and machine operatives. The equivalent information is not available for NI. The main aims of this data linkage project are: - to help clarify the relationship between occupation/employment status and stress/depression/anxiety in NI; - to compare the prevalence of stress/depression/anxiety in different occupations and socio-economic groupings in NI; and - to examine the effects of situational changes over time. The proposed method involves the linking of data from the Electronic Prescribing Database to the NILS data. The data will be analysed using logistic regression techniques. The main focus of the analysis will be on differences between the various occupational and industrial groups. Comparisons will be made between these groups and with economically inactive and unemployed groups. Whilst acknowledging the limitations of the regression analysis, the relationship between situational changes over time and mental health will also be examined, including changes in occupation and employment status. One of the main limitations of the research is that it won’t identify if a particular occupation has caused mental ill health, as such the research will only look at the prevalence of stress/depression/anxiety within different industries and occupations. People with stress/anxiety may select certain occupations / industries, for example, those with lower work pressures, a supporting environment, outdoors, working with animals, etc. There could also be interactions between occupation and industry, say if you work in HR in a stable, non-confrontational organisation, or one with low morale and high staff turn-over.

This is a longitudinal study that will examine the relationship between situational and occupational changes and mental health between the time of the 2001 and 2011 Censuses, by linking these Census datasets to prescription records covering the period from 2010 to the latest available. NILS is the largest study cohort available in Northern Ireland to study mental health at an individual level. By linking prescriptions data with Census data we will be able to compare the prevalence of stress, depression or anxiety in different occupational groups. The Census data will enable us to control for other variables, such as age, gender, socio-economic grouping, employment status, etc. Comparative GB data could also be obtained from the equivalent resources in England, Scotland and Wales. Estimates for the prevalence of stress, depression and anxiety in NI could then be refined based on the results of these comparisons. We will be using prescription data to identify stress/depression/anxiety and also Census Health variables such as Q23 from 2011 Census: ‘Do you have any of the following conditions which have lasted, or are expected to last, at least 12 months? Answer: An emotional, psychological or mental health condition (such as depression or schizophrenia)’?

04/07/2019

TRE