LEW16. PLENARY 1
Professor David M. Fergusson (University of Otago, Christchurch)
Unemployment and welfare dependence:
Findings from the Christchurch Health and
Development Study
This presentation will use data from the Christchurch Health
and Development Study (CHDS) to examine the relationships
between unemployment and a wide range of psychosocial
outcomes including: mental health outcomes, crime,
substance use, and adverse life events. The study examined
the relationship between these outcomes and unemployment
in a representative birth cohort studied at ages 18, 21, 25, and
30 years. Findings of the study suggest that when due
allowance was made for confounding, unemployment had
weak to moderate associations with: major depression
(p<.01); alcohol abuse/dependence (p<.05); property and
criminal offending (p<.001); serious financial problems (p<.
01); and relationship problems (p>.10). The implications of
these findings for understanding the interplay between employment and psychosocial well-being will
be discussed.
Part 2 of the presentation will present data on the associations between ethnicity and
unemployment/welfare dependence and examine the intervening factors that place Māori at great
risk of these outcomes.
Background
For over 35 years, Professor David Fergusson has been the Principal Investigator and Executive
Director of the Christchurch Health and Development Study (CHDS) which is an internationally
renowned longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,265 New Zealand children born in mid-1977. This
cohort has now been studied from birth to age 35. Professor Fergusson is the author of over 450
scientific articles and books. His recent work has included research into: childhood sexual and
physical abuse; family violence; unemployment; teenage pregnancy; juvenile delinquency;
substance abuse; and mental health. His major research interests are the design and analysis of
correlational studies and the study of personal adjustment in adolescence/young adulthood.
Professor Fergusson is also actively involved with the development and evaluation of the
Christchurch-based Early Start programme. He is a fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand,
honorary fellow of the New Zealand Psychological Society and the Royal Australasian College of
Physicians, and is the 2010 recipient of the University of Otago Distinguished Research Medal.
http://www.otago.ac.nz/christchurch/departments/psychmed/ourpeople/otago011206.html