How much of the effect of disability acquisition on mental health is mediated through employment and income? A causal mediation analysis quantifying interventional indirect effects using data from four waves of an Australian cohort study.

This study estimated that disability-related mental health inequalities could be reduced by 10.6% if employment rates were the same for people with disability as those without disability. The results suggest that employment is implicated in the relationship between disability acquisition and mental health and that more research is needed to understand the influence of other aspects of employment and other socioeconomic characteristics.