Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/327092 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Citation: 
[Journal:] BRQ Business Research Quarterly [ISSN:] 2340-9444 [Volume:] 28 [Issue:] 3 [Year:] 2025 [Pages:] 695-711
Publisher: 
Sage Publishing, London
Abstract: 
Self-employed workers worldwide encountered significant mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether the pandemic has affected the mental health of the self-employed more significantly than employees. To address this question, we analyzed data from more than 4,000 self-employed individuals across the 27 European Union (EU) member states. We found that the pandemic had a more significant impact on the mental health of the self-employed in the EU, especially those working in the health and education sectors and countries with the highest stringency measures. Our findings also reveal that the pandemic has prompted self-employed individuals, particularly self-employed women, to be more open to talking about their mental health challenges at work, suggesting a shift in their perception of mental health stigma. This study highlights an opportunity and a need for EU policymakers to introduce targeted measures to support the self-employed in building back better in the post-COVID-19 world.
Subjects: 
Mental health
COVID-19
self-employed in Europe
mental health stigma
JEL: 
I31
L26
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article

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