Economic crisis, Health and Psychosocial Intervention in Spain

Abstract

The economic crisis that began in the summer of 2008 has had a negative impact on the psychological, social and community spheres of people. In addition, the austerity policies implemented by many governments have weakened social protection systems, which have contributed to increase the vulnerability of the people who suffered most from the crisis, leading in many cases to processes of exclusion. In this paper, we evaluate the negative consequences that the crisis has had on the mental health of the general population, with a focus on two of the most vulnerable social groups such as children / youth and migrants. We further analyze the negative effects of the crisis on community life, in particular on intercultural relations in an increasingly multicultural society. Our data highlights the importance of psychosocial factors as moderators of the crisis’ negative effects on health and psychological well-being, which prompted us to describe some proposals for psychosocial intervention that take into account support for families, social network improvement, and empowerment of people, groups and communities, or cultural competency of community services.