Abstract
BACKGROUND: Only little is known about the social and health conditions of overindebted individuals in Switzerland. Very few studies on the mental health outcomes or correlates of overindebtedness have been performed so far, and to date, hardly any study has been conducted on the social well-being and connectedness of overindebted people. METHODS: Survey data collected in 2019 from clients of all four official debt advisory centers in the Canton of Zurich were used and merged with a subsample of the Swiss Health Survey 2017 of the same age and canton of residence. The combined dataset and pooled study sample covered a total of 2,216 individuals, 219 overindebted adults and 1,997 respondents of the Swiss Health Survey and residents of the Canton of Zurich. Contingency tables were constructed, and multiple logistic and linear regression analyses were performed to estimate different measures of effect or association (bivariate frequency distributions, multiple-adjusted odds ratios, standardized beta coefficients). RESULTS: Overindebted individuals show a markedly increased frequency and risk of being socially disconnected or isolated. They are much more likely to be insufficiently supported (55%) and to frequently feel lonely (43%) than not overindebted representatives of the general population (10%/4%). Overindebted individuals accordingly have - even after adjustment for control variables - a strongly increased risk of being comparably unsupported (aOR = 12.6) and frequently feeling lonely (aOR = 15.4) in comparison with their counterparts. However, this association does not fully explain the strong negative mental health impact of overindebtedness. Half or less of this effect was indirect and thus was mediated by perceived social support and felt loneliness. CONCLUSIONS: The very poor mental health status of overindebted people cannot be completely attributed to the strong association between overindebtedness and social disconnectedness that was found in this study and shown for the first time.