This research is a continuation of a study of the mental and physical health of husbands and wives facing involuntary unemployment of husbands. Forty unemployed blue collar and forty unemployed white collar men and their families were interviewed four times during the year following job loss. The effect of this event on the overall health and well being of both spouses was estimated by comparing health measures for these respondents with those of control families matched pairwise with each unemployed couple. The effects of the job loss were assessed not only for husbands and wives but also for the overall functioning of the family system. Thus, a range of family hardships and difficulties was measured as signs of family level strain together with estimates of family morale and cohesion. Family coping strategies in the face of these difficulties and the involvement of supportive others were examined as the principal factors mediating the effect of job loss on spouses. Analyses thus far indicate that unemployment is a significant health risk factor for both spouses and that stress for husbands may be especially harsh in the blue collar sample. Family system effects have also been observed and the evidence suggests that more active as opposed to passive, cognitive coping strategies resolve unemployment stress the best. The proposed research seeks to continue the process of uncovering the underlying mechanisms mediating the effects of job loss on families and couples by 1) focusing attention on the job hunt af a form of coping and also a potential source of stress, and 2) examining characteristics of worker's previous jobs and work settings as predictors of the degree of strain resulting from unemployment. This research also identifies two important subgroups of families, Black and dual career families, for whom comparisons will be made relative to the total sample regarding the process of response to joblessness. Existing interview data will be used to conduct this research. The conceptual foundations for this work draw upon the psychological, epidemiological, and economic literatures. The findings will expand our knowledge of how the work and economic sector of people's lives affect their physical and emotional health.
NIH ExPorter
NIH ExPorter