The scarring effect of unemployment on psychological well-being across Europe

Abstract

Past unemployment may have a pervasive psychological impact that occurs across nations. We investigate the association between unemployment events across working life and subsequent psychological well-being across 14 European countries. Additionally, we consider the influence of between-country differences in labour market institutions and conditions on the cross-country well-being effects of unemployment. Data detailing life-long employment trajectories and contemporary life conditions are drawn from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. The well-being impact of unemployment is modeled using linear, multi-level specifications. Each six-month spell of past unemployment is found to predict reduced quality of life and life satisfaction after the age of 50, having adjusted for a broad range of individual and country-specific covariates. In contrast, the impact of past unemployment on depression is explained by individual demographic factors. We identify the first comparative long-term evidence that unemployment welfare scarring may be a broad, international phenomenon.

The social stigma of unemployment: consequences of stigma consciousness on job search attitudes, behaviour and success

“…Unemployment is associated with adverse consequences. Empirical evidence has been presented for social exclusion (Hirseland and Ramos Lobato 2014), network withdrawal (Jones 1988), marital dissolution (Hansen 2005), financial shame (Rantakeisu et al 1999), ill health (Krug and Eberl 2018), as well as reduced wage levels (Gangl 2004), reduced well-being (Mousteri et al 2018), even after re-employment. For many of these consequences, social stigma is considered one of the central mechanisms (for an overview, see Brand 2015).…”

bienestar subjetivo explicado desde el acceso al agua potable y al empleo

“…• En la literatura científica se ha documentado evidencia empírica abundante, que señala la correlación entre desempleo y felicidad (Mousteria, et al, 2018). Por ejemplo, la relación entre pérdida involuntaria del empleo, depresión y mala condición de la salud, está bien establecida en la literatura (Kuhn, et al, 2009;Sullivan & von Wachter, 2009).…”

“…• En un estudio conducido en países seleccionados de la Unión Europea, se han descubierto evidencias del efecto del desempleo, en la satisfacción de vida en distintas naciones (Mousteria, et al, 2018). En dicho estudio, se muestra cómo el desempleo predice una reducción en el bienestar subjetivo después de los 50 años de edad en 14 países europeos, sugiriendo que el desempleo tiene efectos dañinos negativos en el largo plazo dentro y a lo largo de los países.…”

Well-being of unemployed people: relations with work values and time of unemployment

“…Considering the above, it is believed that the experience of negative affects experienced by the unemployed tends to stabilize over time, if coping is observed, together with the positive perception of work and its manifest value (Mousteri, Daly, & Delaney, 2018;Thill et al, 2019). Therefore, based on these concepts, the hypothesis is established that the duration of unemployment acts as a moderator in the relationship between unemployment and psychological well-being (H3).…”