Premium
Social class and psychological ill‐health during unemployment
Author(s) -
Payne Roy,
Warr Peter,
Hartley Jean
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
sociology of health and illness
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1467-9566
pISSN - 0141-9889
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9566.ep10778241
Subject(s) - unemployment , social class , class (philosophy) , sociology , psychology , social psychology , demographic economics , economics , economic growth , epistemology , market economy , philosophy
This study explores psychological health and the experience of being unemployed for between 6 and 11 months in two social class groups: unskilled and semi‐skilled workers v. white‐collar, managerial and professional workers. The respondents were British married men aged between 25 and 39. Information was obtained through interviews about financial and other problems, perceived threats associated with unemployment, anxiety, depression, general psychological distress and ratings of general health. It was expected that the working‐class sample would exhibit poorer psychological health than the middle‐class, but this was not confirmed. Medium‐term unemployment appeared to have a homogenizing effect, with similarly poor health in both social class samples, although working‐class respondents reported significantly greater financial problems and difficulties in filling the time.