The impact of the disability support pension on mental health: evidence from 14 years of an Australian cohort
The impact of the disability support pension on mental health: evidence from 14 years of an Australian cohort
At a population level, persons with disabilities have worse mental health than those without disabilities. Socioeconomic circumstances have been found to explain some of these inequalities in mental health.Contextual factors relating to access to government welfare or benefits may also contribute to the poorer mental health among some people with disabilities. Evidence from the United Kingdom (UK) suggests that changes in the eligibility for the disability pension were associated with population-level increases in suicide, self-reported mental health problems and antidepressant use. In this sense, this paper aims to assess the effect of the Australian Disability Support Pension (DSP) on the symptomology of depression and anxiety over and above the effects of reporting a disability itself