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Correlates of Employment Among Welfare Recipients: Do Psychological Characteristics and Attitudes Matter?
Author(s) -
Kalil Ariel,
Schweingruber Heidi A.,
Seefeldt Kristin S.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1023/a:1010413101010
Subject(s) - health psychology , welfare , psychology , sample (material) , work (physics) , public health , social psychology , demographic economics , medicine , economics , nursing , mechanical engineering , chemistry , chromatography , engineering , market economy
Abstract This study examines whether and how a wide range of potential barriers to work,including psychological characteristics and attitudes, are associated with current employment in a recent sample of welfare recipients in Michigan ( N = 672 ). Psychological factors include measures of depressive symptoms, work attitudes, and perceived risks associated with leaving welfare. Over and above demographic, economic, and contextual factors, positive psychological characteristics and attitudes were found to be moderately associated with currently being employed. Implications for welfare‐to‐work programs and policy are discussed.