Mental health Burden of Increased Living costs: Local Support: MyBILLS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Examining the Impact of the Current Cost of Living Crisis on the Mental Health of Service Users and Resulting Service Demands within the NHS and Third Sector
IRAS ID
330728
Contact name
Thomas Richardson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Background: Poverty can have a significant impact on health. Research suggests that being in debt or struggling to pay the bills can lead to poor mental health such as problems with depression and anxiety. There is currently a cost-of-living crisis with record inflation and energy bills.
Aim: We aim to analyse the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on the mental health of the adults in Hampshire and identify the best pathways to support people struggling with mental health and financial problems.Design & Methods: We will use several methods. We will interview staff at local financial advice and NHS mental health services for their views. We will collect survey responses from service users and interview them to see how financial problems and mental health are associated over time. We will use existing data from the NHS and other services about demand for services and if this has changed over recent months with the cost-of-living crisis.
Patient & Public Involvement: We will involve service users and members of the public in the design of our research. They will also form part of a steering group to oversee our work and help us to develop recommendations about local support and how to share the outcomes of our research.
Dissemination: We will write up our findings in academic journals and present them at conferences. We will present our finding to the public at an open, free event. We will also have a free report summarising the findings, and flyers and videos summarising the research in an accessible way.
REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/SC/0413
Date of REC Opinion
12 Dec 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion