You'd think in this economy the
mental outlook of an unemployed
person seeking a job would be
worse than someone who is employed, right? Not always true,
says a new study from Australia.
According to a study published in
Occupational and Environmental
Medicine , researchers from the
Australian National University
concluded that people with poor-quality
jobs (i.e., high demands, low control
over decision-making, high job
insecurity and an imbalance regarding
effort and their rewards), actually
experienced worse mental health than
those who were jobless.
Results from a seven year study showed
that although unemployed people
experienced significantly poorer mental
health than people who were employed,
they actually experienced superior
mental health compared to people who
had a job with very poor quality.
Furthermore, the mental health of
people in low-satisfying jobs continued
to deterioriate over time.
In the study participants indicated how
strongly they agreed to statements such
as "I worry about the future of my job"
and "My job is complex and difficult."
Essentially, the study showed how the
quality of a job predicts the quality of
the employee's mental health as the two
are inextricably intertwined. According
to Peter Butterworth, Ph.D., lead author
in the study and senior research fellow
at the Centre for Mental Health
Research at the Australian National
University, "Moving from
unemployment to a poor-quality job
offered no mental health benefit, and in
fact was more detrimental to mental
health than remaining unemployed."
Overall, he notes people who couldn't
find a job had a healthier mental state of
mind than people who were newly
employed and felt overwhelmed,
insecure, underpaid and micromanaged.
Butterworth adds, "This runs counter to
a common belief that any job offers
psychological benefits foro individuals
over the demoralizing effects of
unemployment."
www.josiahdele.blogspot.com
mental outlook of an unemployed
person seeking a job would be
worse than someone who is employed, right? Not always true,
says a new study from Australia.
According to a study published in
Occupational and Environmental
Medicine , researchers from the
Australian National University
concluded that people with poor-quality
jobs (i.e., high demands, low control
over decision-making, high job
insecurity and an imbalance regarding
effort and their rewards), actually
experienced worse mental health than
those who were jobless.
Results from a seven year study showed
that although unemployed people
experienced significantly poorer mental
health than people who were employed,
they actually experienced superior
mental health compared to people who
had a job with very poor quality.
Furthermore, the mental health of
people in low-satisfying jobs continued
to deterioriate over time.
In the study participants indicated how
strongly they agreed to statements such
as "I worry about the future of my job"
and "My job is complex and difficult."
Essentially, the study showed how the
quality of a job predicts the quality of
the employee's mental health as the two
are inextricably intertwined. According
to Peter Butterworth, Ph.D., lead author
in the study and senior research fellow
at the Centre for Mental Health
Research at the Australian National
University, "Moving from
unemployment to a poor-quality job
offered no mental health benefit, and in
fact was more detrimental to mental
health than remaining unemployed."
Overall, he notes people who couldn't
find a job had a healthier mental state of
mind than people who were newly
employed and felt overwhelmed,
insecure, underpaid and micromanaged.
Butterworth adds, "This runs counter to
a common belief that any job offers
psychological benefits foro individuals
over the demoralizing effects of
unemployment."
www.josiahdele.blogspot.com
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