The negative mental health effect of unemployment: Meta-Analyses of cross-sectional and longitudinal data
Year: 2005
Type: dissertation
Study designs: Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis
Abstract: The effect of unemployment on mental health was examined with meta-analytic methods across 237 cross-sectional and 87 longitudinal studies. The studies originated from 26 different countries and were published between 1963 and 2004. Six measures of mental health were analyzed (mixed symptoms of distress, depression, anxiety, somatization, subjective well-being, self esteem). The average overall effect size was d = 0.51 with unemployed persons showing more distress than employed persons. A negative effect of medium size could be demonstrated for all six mental health measures except psychosomatic symptoms, where the effect was weak. The average number of persons with psychological problems among the unemployed was 34%, compared to 16% among employed individuals. Gender, occupational status, and unemployment duration emerged as significant moderator variables with stronger mental health effects for males, blue-collar workers, and long-tem unemployed persons than for females, white-collar workers, and short-tem unemployed persons. Furthermore, the negative mental health effect of unemployment was particularly strong in countries that are economically less developed, or are characterized by an unequal income distribution, or by a weak unemployment protection system. Meta-analyses of longitudinal data showed that unemployment is not only correlated with, but also causes distress: Losing a job was associated with a significant deterioration in mental health, while finding a new job after unemployment was associated with a significant improvement in mental health. Meta-analytic results for changes from school to either unemployment or employment also endorsed the hypothesis that unemployment causes distress. However, mental health-related selection effects in the labor market could also be demonstrated. The results showed that impaired mental health precedes job loss among employed persons, while a good mental health precedes (re)employment among unemployed persons and students, indicating that there is a causal link from mental health to a person’s employment status. In sum, the relationship between unemployment and mental health can be described as a vicious circle: Persons with impaired mental health are more likely to lose their jobs. Unemployment then further impairs mental health, leading to lowered chances of finding a new job. Finally, a significant publication bias was detected. However, sensitivity analyses showed that this publication bias is too weak to threaten the validity of the meta-analytic results. In sum, there is compelling empirical evidence now that unemployment poses a severe threat to public health.
Author: Karsten I. Paul
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3161126036