Psychische Folgen von Arbeitsplatzverlust und Arbeitslosigkeit

The article reviews psychological research into the consequences of unemployment on mental health. According to this research, unemployed people report considerably lower levels of mental health than the employed. Longitudinal studies and natural experiments show that the high stress levels among unemployed people mainly result from unemployment itself. Selection effects (the experience of stress leads to job loss and delayed reemployment) also exist. Jahoda’s latent-deprivation model proposes a lack of so-called latent functions of employment (i.e., time structure, social contact, status, collective purpose, activity) as an explanation for the negative effects of stress experienced by unemployed people. The model has repeatedly been endorsed by empirical studies. In addition to that, personal and situational coping resources such as self-esteem and social support at least partially mitigate the negative effects of unemployment. Moreover, the negative effect of unemployment on mental health is moderated by duration of unemployment, socio-economic status, gender and age. At country level, the economic development and the generosity of the unemployment protection system also have a moderating effect on the impact of unemployment on the mental health of its citizens.