Unemployment and Health: Issues in a Primary Care Nursing Practice

A group of clinical nurse specialists in primary care examined unemployment through the frameworks of stress/coping and relative deprivation theories. The moderating effect of social support was also considered. The impact of unemployment on health was elicited from unemployed clients and records kept by the nurses providing care. Nursing diagnoses were found to fall into three major categories: subsistence problems, increased psychosocial stress, and lack of necessary health care. Nursing interventions included exploration and constructive mobilization of emotional responses and assistance with problem solving, including support of existing strengths and identification of alternative behaviors and resources. The need for advocacy on behalf of clients emerged as a continuing concern.