The Impact of Unemployment on the Physical and Mental Health of Indigenous Australians - Coursework Example

The Impact of Unemployment on the Mental Health of Indigenous Australians Grade (March 28th, The Impact of Unemployment on the Mental Health of Indigenous Australians Introduction 1.0 Introduction The unemployment for the Indigenous Australians stems back to the colonisation era, where the European colonisers who inhabited the region treated the Indigenous Australians as mere source of cheap labor (Chittleborough, et al., 2011). The condition of unemployment for this group has not improved despite various policies that have been enacted to ensure equal opportunities for all the ethnic groups in the country. According to the Australian census of population undertaken in 2006, 46% of the Indigenous Australians were not part of the labour force (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008). This data indicates that the level of unemployment for the Indigenous Australians is very high, compared to the other ethnic groups within the country, where according to the same census data, it is only 35% of the non-Indigenous people in Australia who were unemployed (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008). In addition, it is significant to understand that the danger of substance ill-use is additionally an alternate real hazard element for the Indigenous Australians mental wellbeing issue, which is brought on by unemployment and the resulting neediness. Unemployment and destitution are elements that build the mental powerlessness of people to substance misuse and physical illness. Unemployment has also led to chronic illnesses that have negatively affected the indigenous population (Walter, 2008). 2.0 Unemployment as a Determinant of Health for Indigenous Australians This disparity has even been worse in the 20th century, since the statistics indicate that at the turn of the 21st century, 48% of the Indigenous Australians were unemployed, meaning that the situation has kept improving. The situation is also discriminative even for the Indigenous Australians who are employed, where they earn an individualised average income of $460 per a household in a week, while the non-indigenous people earns an average of $740 per household in a week (Carson & Dunbar, 2007). This background simply serves to indicate that the unemployment situation of the Indigenous Australians is wanting. Thus, this discussion seeks to evaluate the effect that the unemployment has had on the mental health of the Indigenous Australians, with a view to assessing the risk factors, the accessibility to mental health services and the predominant health problems suffered by this group (Henderson, Andrews & Hall, 2010). Mental health risk factors for Indigenous Australians Poor access to physical healthcare Unemployment is associated with the poverty index and the social status of a social group within a society (Dockery & Milsom, 2007). This being the case, the level of unemployment suffered by the Indigenous Australians has emerged as a major contributor to the poor accessibility of health services for this social group, considering that the Indigenous Australians have been relegated to the bottom layer of the social class stratification, meaning that they live in regions that are marginalized and remote. The effect is that this social group is not able to access good healthcare even where the individuals are suffering from common preventable diseases (Davis, et al., 2010). The consequence of poor accessibility to healthcare is that, the society becomes stressed and depressed, thus preparing a fertile ground for the development of further complex mental health issues, which then affects the Indigenous Australians, resulting to the high rate of mental halt problems characterized by this social group (Dunbar, et.al., 2007). Studies have indicated that there is a high rate of depression and other mental disorders, which are associated with poor physical health and extended durations of hospitalization (Fragar, et al., 2010). Thus, considering that the Indigenous Australians are not able to access good healthcare even for the common preventable illnesses, their state of physical health becomes adversely affected, and the resultant depression becomes highly manifested in individuals within this social group. The correlation between the state of physical health and the nature of the depression of individuals have been found to be up to 60% in some studies, while the majority of the studies have indicated a rate of association of between 40% and 50% (Zubrick, et al., 2008). Consequently, the poor access of healthcare services for the Indigenous Australians is a major risk factor for the mental problems predominantly registered by this group. 3. 0 Impacts of Unemployment on Physical Health of Indigenous Australians Indigenous people groups in Australia do not have an equal opportunity to basic social amenities and services as other non-indigenous Australians. The relative socioeconomic inequality that exist in Australia among indigenous population contrasted with non-Indigenous individuals places them at more danger to unemployment because they are denied the opportunity to compete or look for employment like non-indigenous Australians (Walter, 2008). 3.1 Smoking and Substance abuse The risk of substance abuse is also another major risk factor for the Indigenous Australians mental health problem, which is caused by unemployment and the consequent poverty. Unemployment and poverty are factors that increase the psychological vulnerability of individuals to substance abuse and physical violence (Henderson, Andrews & Hall, 2010). In this respect, when a high percentage of the population is unemployed, the tendency to engage in substance abuse, crime and violence is high, owing to the fact that such high percentage of the population is not constructively engaged (Carson & Dunbar, 2007). Thus, these are some of the risk factors that have added to the psychological vulnerability of the Indigenous Australians. Since the community has most of its population out of the labour force, that there is a low level of constructive engagement, and a high level of idleness. The idleness can result to increased violence, crimes and drug abuse within this social group (Kelly, Dudgeon, Gee & Glaskin, 2009). Further, when a group of the society is prone to crime, violence and drug abuse, the chances of such a social group developing adverse health issues is high (Dockery & Milsom, 2007). Therefore, with the drug abuse challenges and the challenges of violence and crime, the Indigenous Australians population is prone to stress per se, which then develops into depression and chronic stress or other mental health problems. According to statistics, the vulnerability of the Indigenous Australians to substance and drug abuse is higher compared to the non-indigenous groups, where in the year 2002, 50% of the Indigenous Australians aged 15 years and above were found to be smoking on a daily basis (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010). According to the same data, the population vulnerability to substance and drug abuse for this social group indicated that 20% of the Indigenous Australians were consuming alcohol at either risky or high risky levels (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010). Consequently the Australian Bureau of Statistics report indicated that by the year 2004, the Indigenous Australians were twice as much likely to be hospitalized for mental and behavioural disorders, compared to the rest of the non-indigenous Australian population (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010). Poverty and consequent chronic stress Chronic stress has been found to be one of the major factors that influence the mental health of the Indigenous Australians, considering that due to unemployment, the poverty level for this group is high, and thus the poverty related stress plays a major role in causing the development of the chronic stress (Vos, et al., 2009). Under circumstances where individuals are not in a better position to control their lives and their physical environment, there are high chances that such individuals will be faced by problems of self-esteem, low dignity and poor physical state (Walter, 2008). These factors are risk factors for the rise and development of stress for the individuals, which may then develop into depression or chronic stress, which then makes the individuals completely unable to control their lives. Such chronic stress results to a higher mental burden, which in turn results to the development of mental problems issues, thus affecting the overall mental health of the individual (Davis, et al., 2010). In this respect then, unemployment and the subsequent poverty that it causes, has been the major reason for the high rate of mental health problems that are suffered by the Indigenous Australians. 3.2 Social crime and violence The social crime and violence levels, which may include domestic violence, attempted suicide and physical abuses, are further indicators of a population that is highly vulnerable to the psychological stress level that eventually develops into a full blown mental health problem (Fragar, et al., 2010). The same Australian Bureau of Statistics report released in 2004 indicated that the hospitalization rates for intentional self-harm amongst the Indigenous Australians was 50% higher compared to that of the rest of the Australian population (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010). Additionally, the rates of physical assault and domestic violence amongst the Indigenous Australians were reported to be as high as 7-times higher, compared to the same occurrence amongst the rest of the Australian population. This simply serves to indicate that violence and social crimes are high risk factors for the mental health problems of the Indigenous Australians (Henderson, Andrews & Hall, 2010). 4.0 Impacts of Unemployment on Mental Health of Indigenous Australians There is additionally a high extent of long haul unemployed and it is expressed that 60% of every one of those enrolled as unemployed and holding up situation are Aboriginal. Along these lines Aboriginal families, as a result of high extent of youngsters and low levels of vocation, have high reliance proportions which make them exceptionally defenseless as far as arrangement changes and disempowered regarding their association with Government (Henderson, Andrews & Hall, 2010). This is further added to by the way that solitary guardian families are in high extent. All these variables help the helplessness of youngsters, youngsters and families to the impacts of these components on mental wellbeing, an impact settled in other settings. The disparity in wellbeing status accomplished by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people groups is interfaced to systemic segregation. Generally, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people groups have not had the same open door to be as sound as non-Indigenous individuals. This happens through the unavailability of standard administrations and easier access to wellbeing administrations, including essential medicinal services, and insufficient procurement of wellbeing foundation in some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups. The Royal Australasian College of Physicians depicts these wellbeing inequities as both avoidable and precise (Walter, 2008). 4.1 Chronic stress Chronic stress has been identified as one of the major health problem that is facing the Indigenous Australians (Kelly, Dudgeon, Gee & Glaskin, 2009). This mental health problem has been attributed to the high unemployment levels and the high rates of poverty that are characteristic of this population. Intergenerational poverty has been known to be capable of interfering with the circulatory, the immune and the metabolic systems of the body through the concept of hormonal imbalance pathways (Zubrick, et al., 2008). The consequence is that; such interference makes the individuals belonging to such a population more vulnerable to mental health problems, especially the ones associated with the circulatory systems (Walter, 2008). Considering that these mental problems have been noted as the highest killers of the Indigenous Australians in the country, it is therefore apparent that chronic stress is the most predominant health problem amongst this social group (Dockery & Milsom, 2007). 4.2 Depression This has also been observed as the other major health problem suffered by the Indigenous Australians. Studies have indicated that the environmental safety, the social health and the emotional health are major risk factors for depression associated with the Indigenous Australians (Dockery & Milsom, 2007). The emotional and social health of the Indigenous Australians’ children has been found to be 5-times as worse, compared to the health state of the non-indigenous children (Carson & Dunbar, 2007). In this respect, this poor and social health that starts early in the life of the indigenous children ends up developing into a major depression issue, which then impacts negatively on the mental health of the Indigenous Australians. 5.0 Conclusion The unemployment level for the Indigenous Australians is high, and its consequence is poverty, frustration and stress, which in turn causes depression. Further, with the high level of poverty, the physical health of the Indigenous Australians is also in deteriorating state, considering that a high percentage of this population is not in a position to access good health care. Thus, with the high rate of unemployment comes mental health risk factor such as idleness, substance abuse, social crimes and violence, which in turn results in some major health problems amongst the Indigenous Australians, such as depression and chronic stress. 6.0 References Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008). Population characteristics, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: 2006. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2010).The health and welfare of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Canberra: ABS. Carson, B. & Dunbar, T. (2007). Social determinants of Indigenous health. Crows Nest, NSW: Allen and Unwin. Chittleborough C.R. et al. (2011). Age differences in associations between psychological distress and chronic conditions. International Journal of Public Health 56, 71-80. Davis. E. et al. (2010). Socioeconomic risk factors for mental health problems in 4-5-year-old children: Australian population study. International Journal Methods Psychiatric Research 10, 41-47. Dockery A. & Milsom, N. (2007). A review of Indigenous employment programs. Perth: Curtin University of Technology. Dunbar, T. et.al. (2007). Social Determinants of Indigenous Health, Allen and Unwin, NSW, 2007, pp1-18. Fragar, L., et al. (2010). Distress among rural residents: does employment and occupation make a difference? Australian Journal Rural Health 18, 25-31. Henderson, S., Andrews, G., Hall, W. (2010). Australia’s mental health: an overview of the general population survey. Australian Journal Psychiatry 34, 197-205. Kelly, K., Dudgeon, P., Gee, G. & Glaskin, B. (2009). Living on the edge: social and emotional wellbeing and risk and protective factors for serious psychological distress among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Darwin: Cooperative Research Centre for Aboriginal Health. Vos, T., et al. (2009). Burden of disease and injury in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: the Indigenous health gap. Health Promotion Journal of Australia 38, 470-477. Walter M. (2008). Lives of diversity: Indigenous Australia. Canberra: Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. Zubrick S. R. et al. (2008). The Western Australian Aboriginal Child Health Survey: the health of Aboriginal children and young people. Perth: Telethon Institute for Child Health Research. Read More