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Limonic and Lennon examine the mental health consequences of work and unemployment. The authors discuss the different theoretical models for understanding the relationship between work and psychological well-being. Changes in the nature of work, the stability of the labor market, and the involvement of women in the workforce have had important consequences for psychological well-being. Jobs that are demanding and precarious, and provide few opportunities for control, have negative consequences for mental health. Limonic and Lennon also consider the effect of unpaid work, specifically housework, on mental health and well-being. Like paid work, housework involves varying levels of control and stressful demands. Unemployment has a negative effect on well-being because it may reduce self-esteem and economic security, and thus produce anxiety and depression. Yet it is important to examine the economic context within which individuals experience unemployment. Several recent approaches, which integrate community-level conditions and individual characteristics, are described. The authors conclude by providing an overview of the current research on the effects of unemployment during the Great Recession. New research points to long-lasting consequences of job displacement for the individuals affected as well as their families and communities. What are some of the impacts of the Great Recession on labor market outcomes for young job seekers? How do these possible outcomes affect mental health trajectories?
Background
This chapter considers some of the mental health consequences of work and unemployment. In examining the effects of work, it focuses on specific work conditions that both theoretical and empirical studies indicate are important for psychological well-being, defined as the absence of mental health symptoms such as anxiety or depression. Rather than restrict attention to paid work, this chapter will also consider research on unpaid work. In examining unemployment, attention is given to the effects of individual job loss as well as community-level unemployment.
Americans spend large portions of their adult life working. Considering waged work, the average work week is about 34.5 hours (US Department of Labor, 2015a). Since approximately 90 percent of men and three-quarters of women aged 25–54 are in the paid labor force (US Department of Labor, 2015b), jobs hold a central place in the daily lives of most of the adult population. Recently, various social and economic changes have affected the availability and quality of jobs for a substantial number of workers.
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