People who injured, or suffered personal loss during the Troubles in Northern Ireland are significantly more likely to end up needing disability welfare payments in later life, research has found.
“Disability rates are significantly higher in Northern Ireland than in Great Britain,” according to a report, “The legacy of the Northern Irish Troubles and disability” from the Economic and Social Research Institute.
“There are a range of potential reasons for this, but one important factor is the legacy of the region’s 30-year civil conflict which has had enduring impacts on the physical and mental health of those affected,” it went on.
Older working-age adults in Northern Ireland are twice as likely to receive disability benefits compared to people in England, with “personal exposure” to violence increasing the likelihood of requiring disability payments by 21 percentage points.
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The numbers peaked in 2016 with 11 per cent of Northern Ireland’s population receiving such benefits, including 19 per cent of people aged 50 to 64 – the ones who grew during the height of the violence.
Importantly, the disability claims are concentrated in NI’s most socially-deprived areas, though these were also the districts that saw the most of the killings, bombings, kidnappings and coercion by paramilitary organisations.
“Those who are older, less educated, unmarried or living in Belfast are all more likely to be in receipt of (disability),” the authors of the report, Anne Devlin*, Declan French and Duncan McVicar wrote.
Significantly, however, the collation of the research shows that religion, on the other hand, has no significant effect on the likelihood of receiving disability allowance after controlling for Troubles exposure and these other characteristics.
The long shadow left by the Troubles is even more evident on the mental health of those affected by violence over the decades, making later problems 38 percentage points more likely.
The numbers provide “a partial explanation for the higher prevalence of mental ill-health” in Northern Ireland, which is “particularly concerning” given the numbers affected by intergenerational transmission of trauma.
“Individuals who directly experienced the conflict were more likely to report poor mental health and, to a lesser extent, cancer,” say the authors, who warn about the consequences this will have for future health spending.
“Given existing strains on NI’s health system – such as long waiting times and funding shortfalls – understanding the drivers of disability and poor health is vital.
“Interventions to address intergenerational trauma could reduce future reliance on disability-related benefits. These findings are especially important amid renewed debates on welfare reform, where NI’s unique context must be considered,” the report goes on.
