Mental health and mortality in the context of ageing societies

Research project description

A PhD position is available at the Health and Ageing Research group (HEALTHAGE) from the Centre d’Estudis Demogràfics (CED) under the supervision of Sergi Trias-Llimós   (Demographer) and Enrique Acosta (Sociologist). The successful candidate will be enrolled in the Demography doctoral programme  at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in the framework of the TOUCH project. TOUCH (“Towards the next generatiOn of excellent yoUng doctoral researchers on mental health by developing an intersectoral & transdisciplinary approaCH”) is a new excellent doctoral programme co-funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie (MSCA) Actions of the European Commission and led by the UAB for the recruitment and training of 24 doctoral candidates in the field of mental health and wellbeing.

In the context of ageing societies, increasing multimorbidity, and emerging challenges in mortality trends, innovative approaches are required to understand the dynamics of mortality and healthy aging. Mental health conditions are increasingly contributing in health status of population as well are present in a raising share of fatal health pathways. This project focuses on the intersection of mental health, aging, and mortality, with the aim of evaluating how mental health conditions and multimorbidity influence mortality and healthy life expectancy in low-mortality settings like Spain. This project builds upon insights from previous research, employing advanced quantitative methodologies combining insights from sociology, demography, epidemiology and economics to address gaps in current literature. The project will be using retrospective mental health information in two interconnected work packages. into two interrelated work packages:

1) To investigates the cumulative impact of mental health conditions throughout the life course (e.g. mental and behavioural disorders, schizophrenia) on mental-related and all-cause mortality outcomes at older ages. The analysis will consider how cohorts currently aged 65+ were shaped by earlier life experiences and exposures, using longitudinal and cohort-based approaches.

2) To examine the role of mental health and aging in death certificates, advancing beyond conventional analyses based solely on underlying causes of death. This package emphasizes the inclusion of multiple causes of death, allowing for a nuanced understanding of how mental health interacts with multimorbidity at the time of death. This project will rely on health register data and multiple cause-of-death mortality data. The findings will contribute to international discussions on the role of mental health on mortality in low-mortality contexts and support evidence-based policies for mental health in our ageing societies.

Academic background / Skills

The candidates must fulfil the following eligibility criteria from the EC: Mobility rule: candidates must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Spain for more than 12 months in the 36 months immediately preceding the deadline for the programme call. Experience rule: researchers must be doctoral candidates at the date of recruitment, that is not already in possession of a doctoral degree at the deadline of the open calls. Researchers who have successfully defended their doctoral thesis but have not yet formally awarded the doctoral degree will not be considered eligible. Candidates must hold a degree that allows admission to the official doctoral programme at UAB.

Candidates are expected to have a solid knowledge of quantitative methods. We encourage applications from students coming from Epidemiology, Public Health, Statistics, Sociology, Economics, or other fields related to Demography.

Good writing skills, basic knowledge of Spanish, experience working with demographic or epidemiological methods and survey and/or register data are desirable.

Research experience or previous work on the proposed subject of study are considered an advantage.

Applicants should be able to demonstrate a vocation for research and interest in sociodemographic challenges related to population ageing.

They are required to comply with the academic requirements to access the PhD in Demography program of the UAB which, among others, requires accreditation of 300 ECTS credits..

Research group/s description

The PhD student will join CED’s “Health and Ageing” research group, dedicated to studying the challenges posed by population ageing to the organization of our societies and the well-being of its inhabitants. The importance is not just that people live more years, but that those extra years are lived in good health, and in that regard mental health is one of the key drivers of health in our ageing societies. The research group also extensively analyses the persistent gender and social inequalities. The CED is one of the six best population research centres in Europe. It received the “HR Excellence in Research Award” from the European Commission and forms part of the Population Europe network that brings together pioneering demographic research centres to create a lively debate on population issues and disseminate scientific findings. CED also has the highest qualification granted by the Catalan Research Centres institute CERCA. At CED, researchers enjoy a proactive, collaborative and international work environment, aspects that are fundamental for good research practice.