Industrial legacies: A population survey study of mental health disparities across generations in post-coal Wales

Background: Future economic transitions have the potential to replicate historical patterns of deindustrialisation. It is important to understand the health consequences of deindustrialisation to help us prevent the long-term health legacies we see in post-industrial communities. This paper presents the case of mental health on the Welsh coalfields as an example of how these health legacies can manifest.
Methods: Data on 180,462 respondents to the Welsh Health Survey between 2003 and 2015, and 57,331 respondents to the National Survey for Wales between 2016 and 2023 were linked to spatial data on historical coal mining activity at the middle super output area level. Linear mixed effects models were fitted to self-reported mental health and wellbeing measures as a function of local mining extent, both overall and as a function of generational cohort and sex.
Results: An association between mining extent and mental health was found in both datasets, with residents of areas with greater mining extent reporting worse mental health. This association was strongest in generations who lived through the decline of the mining industry. There was a stronger association for women than men in the older Welsh Health Survey, but moderation by gender was not replicated in the newer National Survey for Wales.
Conclusion: The study underscores the enduring mental health legacy of deindustrialisation and how it is patterned by geography, generation, and sex. The health consequences should be an important consideration for industrial policy and attempts to mitigate the effects of future deindustrialisation.