Covid Awareness

MENTAL HEALTH OF BREADWINNERS DURING THE PANDEMIC

It's been a year now since COVID-19 has brought about a massive change in our lives. The new normal is such an immense change from all that we knew before, so much so that accepting this newness is a challenge for most of us. For most, dealing with the lockdown has been tough, where the line between work time and personal time grows thinner by the day. If there is anyone who is affected most by the pandemic, it is the people who bring in money to the family i.e. the breadwinners. A breadwinner is an individual who earns a significant part of the income and financially supports the family. In the past, a single-income family with the other partner staying at home was referred to as a breadwinner. Today's breadwinners may be either men or women or both.

COVID-19 and its impact

COVID-19, and the mandatory domestic isolation system in many countries, has forced millions of families to deal with unimaginable and difficult circumstances. The pandemic hurt the economy and society, putting tens of millions of people at risk of falling into severe poverty. Hundreds of millions of enterprises are in danger of going out of business. Nearly half of the world's 3.3 billion workforces have faced job loss. Workers in the informal sector are particularly vulnerable due to a lack of social security and access to healthcare, as well a loss of valuable assets. Many people could not feed themselves and their families during lockdowns because they do not have the means to earn money. The lockdown has a sizeable impact on migrant workers from India's numerous cities and towns. They were left without a source of income after factories and workplaces were closed.

Condition of breadwinners amid the pandemic

COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on breadwinners and put countless families’ years behind, financially. The pandemic halted trade and business and forced breadwinners to confine themselves to their homes. According to estimates, India's malnutrition rate is increasing because of COVID-19, with the elderly and children bearing the brunt of the consequences. The death of the family's breadwinner resulted in difficulties, hunger, and pain, especially among the less paid households. The COVID-19 pandemic's economic impact is threatening the health and well-being of families across the country.

• The coronavirus epidemic has caused more than 4 out of 10 breadwinners to lose their jobs or work-related profits.
• The lower-income class is less likely to be able to work from home and had trouble finding child care.
• Breadwinners are coping with the pandemic’s economic impacts by cutting back spending on food, reducing savings, and going into debt.
• More than a third of them have financial difficulties paying for rent, utilities, food, or medical expenses.

Impact on Mental Health of Breadwinners

Along with the obvious health implications, the pandemic has also impacted people's psychological well-being, resulting in drastic behavioral changes such as disrupted sleeping habits and a lack of interest in performing tasks among breadwinners. During the pandemic, he breadwinners have identified weight gain as a health problem. Reduced motivation, reduced focus, increased stress, and mood swings were the other troubles they are facing. Because of Covid-19, the number of mental health crises has been on the increase since January 2020. People's mental health has suffered due to being confined to their homes, jobs shifting online, and job insecurity. People have lost their jobs because work from home is not possible. Many of those who have lost their jobs are breadwinners, putting their families in a financial crisis, and therefore preventing them from accessing adequate food, medical care, and other necessities. Since they are the family's sole earners, the stigma associated with COVID-19 and the fear of being subjected to COVID were primary sources of stress for the breadwinners. The insecurity of the work and uncertain nature of the pandemic has resulted in increasing cases of anxiety and depressions among the breadwinners. In 2020, there were a large number of suicides because breadwinners were unable to keep their families afloat, financially, due to not getting paid and losing jobs.

Mental health problems have existed for a long time, and according to estimates, 10% of India's population suffers from one or more mental health issues. Breadwinners losing their jobs, deaths in the family due to Covid-19, and no access to proper food, medical facilities to the family has worsened the mental health of the people. Furthermore, many people are afraid to discuss this topic because people with mental health issues are often perceived to be weak and incapable in the country; and thus, it being taboo, people do not want to discuss it with others. In addition, there are no mental health services or psychiatrists available as per the needs of the population. As a result, government-induced reforms need to be set to address the current mental health crisis.