Men hit harder by 'status drops'

Men appeared to take demotion at work harder

Men who fail to progress up the career ladder take the blow much harder than women, research suggests.

Although women were twice as likely to be downwardly mobile, they generally avoided the depression found in the post-war generation men studied.

The Newcastle University authors reason men might gain self-esteem from their careers, while women take more satisfaction from having a family.

Their findings appear in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Men are more likely to experience long term unemployment, which can be a significant factor in developing depression Sophie Corlett from the mental health charity MIND

Dr Paul Tiffin and colleagues surveyed 503 men and women, who had been born in Newcastle 50 years earlier, about their psychological wellbeing .

They then looked at the survey results and compared them with socioeconomic status, gauged by the occupation of the head of the household, throughout the life course of the men and women.

More women than men were clinically depressed at the age of 50 and reported downward social mobility.

However, men who experienced a downward social shift were four times more likely to experience depression than men who improved their social status, whereas there was no marked difference in mental health between women who had moved up or down the social ladder.

Downward shift

The study authors said it was possible that the women were more emotionally resilient to this type of situation.

Alternatively, Dr Pearce said: "It's possible that this reaction is typical of this post-war generation, where the man expected to be the main breadwinner of the household and took a significant knock to his self-esteem when he was not able to achieve this.

"Women, on the other hand, perhaps viewed having a successful family life as more important than their careers."

Dr Tiffin, who also works as an NHS psychiatrist, added: "Our findings do suggest that it's important for governments and other agencies to consider the wider effect of mass redundancies and drastic economic changes.

"The tendency is to focus on the financial losses that workers and their families experience but this research shows that the psychological effects should be equally taken into account and acted upon."

Sophie Corlett from the mental health charity Mind said: "It's all too easy to overlook men's mental health.

"Recent studies suggest that men are just as likely as women to experience depression, yet less likely to seek medical attention.

"Men are also more likely to experience long term unemployment, which can be a significant factor in developing depression. Suicide rates, as well as rates of alcohol and substance abuse are higher for men.

"This study reminds us that men's mental health needs require just as much attention as women's."