Review of psychology, Vol. 13 No. 1, 2006.
Original scientific paper
When does unemployment imply impaired psychological health? The mediating role of psychological deprivation and social support
Darja Maslić Seršić
Abstract
The purpose was to verify living conditions and individual characteristics which determine mental health status of unemployed individuals, under aggravated societal conditions brought on by high unemployment rate and economic crisis. The questionnaire comprising measures of demographic variables, length of unemployment, work-related attitudes, job search behavior, psychological deprivation, social support and subjective mental health was applied on the representative national sample of registered unemployed persons (N=1,138). Psychological deprivation was defined through two general aspects of latent work deprivation, based on Jahoda’s deprivation theory: Activity and time structure deprivation, and Social and status deprivation. Perceived social support was defined by a composite measure. Subjective health was examined using Croatian version of the SF-36 Health Survey. Based on the national norms, three distinct levels of health status were defined: (1) poor, significantly impaired psychological health; (2) expected level of psychological health for the age and gender; (3) very good, not impaired psychological health. The hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed age, education, latent work deprivation and social support as significant independent predictors of the individual differences in health status. Social and status deprivation and social support were identified as mediating the relation between individual’s age and his or hers psychological health during the period of unemployment. Older and less educated persons, as well as those experiencing more latent work deprivation and less social support, experience more negative consequences of unemployment. The results are discussed in the context of Jahoda’s (1982) and Warr’s (1987) theoretical explanations of why unemployment may negatively influence individuals’ well-being, as well as a general finding on social support as a protective factor in stressful events.
Keywords
unemployment; psychological health; age; latent work deprivation; social support
Hrčak ID:
9061
URI
Publication date:
5.2.2007.
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