said Mary de Groot, associate professor of psychology at Ohio University.
As unemployment rates rise, the stress of financial instability increases the possibility of mental depression and anxiety, and can influence eating and exercise habits, according to health officials.
Between January and February, the national unemployment rate increased from 7.6 percent to 8.1 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ohio's unemployment rate stood at 7.4 percent in December, but mass layoffs between December and January left an additional 423,000 Ohioans jobless.
And if these trends continue, mental health is expected to suffer.
Unemployment has both direct and indirect effects on mental health said Mary de Groot, associate professor of psychology at Ohio University.
Direct effects of recession include limited access to health insurance and the inability to afford prescriptions and counseling, she said. Indirect effects include low self-esteem, depression and anxiety.
Seeking social support and resisting isolation can buffer the indirect effects, de Groot said, adding that exercise has been specifically found to combat depression.
Jessica Shick, a senior studying women and gender studies, said she does yoga to relieve the stress of finding a job after graduation, as well as the stresses that come with juggling both work and school.
The Athens Community Center has seen a daily increase in the number of people using the facility compared to other times of the year, program specialist Andrew Chiki wrote in an e-mail.
Membership usage in the past three months increased from the previous year by 816 in December, 131 in January and 394 in February, Chiki wrote.
Exercise can relieve stress caused by financial hardships, but changes in membership usage depend on a variety of factors, he wrote. New Year's resolutions and unpleasant weather during the winter months may contribute to increases as well.
During economic recessions, studies have also found that obesity rates tend to decrease with income, Charlene Kalenkoski, an economics professor, said. People choose to eat out less often, which may contribute to this, she said.
I'm definitely more conscious about where I eat out or if I eat out at all as well as what I buy at the grocery store
said Thomas Myers, a first-year graduate student studying bassoon performance.
Maintaining a nutritious diet is another defense against a decline in mental health, de Groot said. People tend to purchase cheaper and lower nutritional food when unemployment is high.
Myers said he ate at Wendy's yesterday instead of somewhere more expensive.
While decreased income may reduce fine dining, it appears that grocery-shopping purchases have not changed with the recession, said Amy Barlow, Kroger media relations manager.
There hasn't been a significant change in the products that people buy
she said. But 14 percent of Kroger customers are switching to Kroger brands as opposed to national brands.
3
Culture
Laura Service
27486a.jpg
Alan Juckett and David Renner take part in some exercise, which is one way to relieve stress. (Sara C. Tobias | CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER)
