Employment Among Persons With Past and Current Mood and Anxiety Disorders in the Israel National Health Survey

Abstract

The study examined associations between having a past or current mood or anxiety disorder and being employed in the past month and salary level. The Israel National Health Survey used data from the National Population Register to compile a representative sample of noninstitutionalized residents aged 21 and older. Data for this study were from 4,859 persons interviewed in their homes between May 2003 and April 2004. Lifetime, past-year, and past-month DSM-IV mood and anxiety disorders were assessed with a revised version of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Respondents self-reported employment and salary information. Logistic regression was used to estimate associations. The employment rate was lowest-35%-among respondents with a past-month mood or anxiety disorder, compared with rates of 52% among those with a past-year disorder, 60% among those with a lifetime disorder who did not have a disorder in the past year, and 58% among those with no disorder. No significant differences in rates of employment were found between those who had never had a disorder and those who had a lifetime or past-year disorder. Age at onset of the disorder was related to earning above the average salary for the population of Israel: those with onset before age 25 had lower odds of being in the above-average group. The results indicate that employment was affected only during the acute phase of a disorder and that early onset had lasting effects in terms of job level and salary.