Journal
JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Volume 44, Issue 1, Pages 121-128Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1093/pubmed/fdaa260
Keywords
mental health; poverty; social determinants
Categories
Funding
- Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA)
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Energy poverty increases the likelihood of parents suffering from depression, especially when there are young children in the household. These findings highlight the importance of policy attention, as parental mental health not only matters in itself but also impacts child development and outcomes.
Background Energy poverty, typified by cold homes and/or an inability to afford energy bills, presents risks to the mental health of occupants. Parents of young children may be especially susceptible to a mental health toll from energy poverty since they have a significant care obligation and spend much of their day at home. Methods Data from the Growing Up in Ireland study inform this longitudinal analysis. Results A 1.64 greater odds of maternal depression were estimated for households containing young children characterized by energy poverty [P = 0.000; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.31-2.05]. For energy poor households with older children (9 years and above), the odds of maternal depression were also higher [odds ratio (OR) 1.74, P = 0.001; 95% CI: 1.27-2.39]. Fathers of young children had greater odds of depression in energy poor households (OR 1.59, P = 0.002; 95% CI: 1.19-2.12), though the deleterious effect on mental health was not statistically significant for fathers of older children. Conclusions Energy poverty increases the likelihood of depression in parents. These findings merit policy attention since a mental health burden is in itself important, and more widely, parental well-being can influence child development and outcomes.
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