Effects of informality in the labor market on depressive disorder: The case of Brazilian domestic workers

Abstract

Depressive mental disorders have a negative impact on the well-being and productivity of individuals. Among the many factors that trigger the disorder are the precarious working conditions associated with informal jobs that lack labor protection. In this context, the profession of domestic worker stands out since most of them are in an informal situation in Brazil. The aim of this study is to analyze the effects of informality in the labor market on depression in the case of Brazilian domestic workers from a national and regional perspective. To this end, logistic regression econometric models were estimated using the 2019 National Health Survey (PNS) database. The results show that having a formal contract reduces the propensity to diagnose depression in these workers by 5.3 percentage points and that this effect is greater in regions where the level of informality is low.