Economic Risks and Mental Health During China's 2020 COVID-19 Outbreak: A Mixed-Methods Approach
Wen Fan, Yue Qian
Journal of Current Chinese Affairs11/28/2025·DOI·Read paper
Abstract
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Insecure employment and irregular income have become important components of risk in contemporary society. This mixed-methods study investigates the social correlates and mental health implications of economic risks during China's 2020 COVID-19 outbreak. Given China's uneven geographic distribution of COVID-19 and its distinctive institutional arrangements, we theorise and empirically test social disparities by region and work unit (
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). National panel survey data collected in 2020 show that residents of Hubei province (initial epicentre) and workers in non-state work units perceived heightened job insecurity and were more likely to experience income loss. Inequalities in job insecurity and income loss across regions and work units were, in turn, associated with region- and
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-based disparities in mental health. Qualitative interview data further illuminate how residents of Wuhan (the capital of Hubei) who lived through the COVID-19 outbreak experienced and made sense of economic risks and the associated mental distress during the crisis.
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