Individual and population level estimates of work loss and related economic costs due to mental and substance use disorders in Metropolitan Sao Paulo, Brazil

Author(s)

Franca, Mariane Henriques ^[1] ; Pereira, Flavia Garcia ^[1] ; Wang, Yuan-Pang ^[2] ; Andrade, Laura Helena ^[3] ; Alonso, Jordi ^{[4, 5, 6]} ; Viana, Maria Carmen ^{[1, 7]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Espirito Santo, Post Grad Program Publ Hlth, Vitoria, ES - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med, Inst & Dept Psiquiatria LIM 23, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Med Sch, Dept & Inst Psychiat, Sect Psychiat Epidemiol LIM 23, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

^[4] Pompeu Fabra Univ UPF, Barcelona - Spain

^[5] CIBER Epidemiol & Salud Publ CIBERESP, Madrid - Spain

^[6] IMIM Hosp del Mar Med Res Inst, Hlth Serv Res Unit, Barcelona - Spain

^[7] Univ Fed Espirito Santo, Dept Social Med, Av Marechal Campos 1468, Vitoria, ES - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of Affective Disorders; v. 296, p. 198-207, JAN 1 2022.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Background: We estimate work loss and economic costs due to mental and substance use disorders in the economically active population of the Sao Paulo Metropolitan Area, Brazil. Methods: The Sao Paulo Megacity Mental Health Survey assessed a population-based sample of 3,007 economically active residents using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2 to investigate, respectively, 12-month psychiatric disorders, work performance, and economic costs. Results: Absenteeism over the past 12 months was reported by 12.6%, and presenteeism by 14.7% (qualitative loss) and 13.1% (quantitative loss). Having any mental disorder was associated with 17.6 days of absenteeism and 37.7 days of reduced-qualitative and/or quantitative functioning. Fourteen mental disorders were significantly associated with work loss, with odds ratios ranging from 2.3 for adult separation anxiety to 40.4 for oppositional defiant disorder. At a population-level, oppositional defiant disorder, panic disorder, attention deficit disorder, and dysthymia contributed to the largest costs. The total annual economic costs were USD \$83.2 billion/year, representing 6.1% of Brazil's Gross Domestic Product in 2007. Limitations: Diagnosis of mental disorders was based on self-reported symptoms. Work loss assessment was restricted to 30 days before the interview and may not fully represents the annual real experience and symptoms of the respondents which would lead to an overestimation of the burden. Conclusions: Mental disorders impose a great negative impact on work performance and functioning, with a consequent high economic burden, pointing to the need of implementing cost-effective interventions to prevent work loss. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 03/00204-3 - Epidemiological study of psychiatric disorders in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region: prevalence, risk factors, and social and economical burden
• Grantee: Laura Helena Silveira Guerra de Andrade
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• FAPESP's process: 08/53818-2 - Epidemiological study of psychiatric disorders in the São Paulo Metropolitan Region: prevalence, risk factors, and social and economical burden
• Grantee: Maria Carmen Viana Caputi
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral