Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T23:50:40.179Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ability levels, mental health, and attitudes-to-work of the chronic long-term unemployed

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 May 2015

Peter A. Creed  and
Meaghan A. Poulton
Peter A. Creed*
Affiliation:
School of Applied Psychology Griffith University
Meaghan A. Poulton
Affiliation:
Centre for Development and Training Queensland Health
*
School of Applied Psychology, Griffith University, PMB 50 Gold Coast Mail Centre 4217, Telephone: 07 5594 8810, Facsimile: 07 5594 8291, E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

An emerging unemployment issue has been the growing number of job seekers who have been out of work for very long periods of time. Those who have been unemployed for 5 years or more, the chronic long-term unemployed (CLTU), are the subject of this research. This paper reports on the results of an assessment of 47 CLTU job seekers undertaken as part of a strategy aimed at identifying needs and generating return-to-work strategies for this group. Variables investigated were general ability (Standard Progressive Matrices, de Lemos, 1989), literacy (ACER Applied Reading Test, van den Berg & Woff, 1990), mental health (General Health Questionnaire, Goldberg, 1978; Symptom Checklist-90-R, Derogatis, 1983; State of Anxiety and Depression Scale, Bedford, Foulds & Sheffield, 1976) and work commitment. The CLTU differed from the general population on intellectual and reading ability by being over-represented in the lower ranges. The group reported mental health levels poorer than non-patient normative samples, but above levels of psychiatric in- or out-patients. Despite this, the CLTU reported high levels of work commitment. These initial findings point to the special needs of the CLTU. Implications for policy makers and those working with the unemployed are highlighted.

Type
Articles
Information
South Pacific Journal of Psychology , Volume 10 , Issue 2 , 1998 , pp. 1 - 14
Copyright
Copyright © University of Papua New Guinea and the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies, Northern Territory University, Australia 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (1994). Australia's long-term unemployed: A statistical profile. Canberra: Australian Government Printing Service.Google Scholar
Athanasou, J. A., Pithers, R. T., & Petoumenos, K. (1995). Characteristics of long-term unemployed and very long-term unemployed clients: A study of employment service registrants in Australia. Australian Bulletin of Labour, 21(3), 198–207.Google Scholar
Banks, M. H., & Ullah, P. (1988). Youth unemployment in the 1980s: Its psychological effects. London: Croom Helm.Google Scholar
Banks, M. H., Clegg, C. W., Jackson, P. R., Kemp, N. J., Stafford, E. M., & Wall, T. D. (1980). The use of the General Health Questionnaire as an indicator of mental health in occupational studies. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 53, 187–194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Banks, M. H., Jackson, P. R., Stafford, E. M., & Warr, P. B. (1980). Young people starting work. Social and Applied Psychology Unit Memo No. 408, University of Sheffield.Google Scholar
Bedford, A., Foulds, G. A., & Sheffield, B. F. (1976). A new Personal Disturbance Scale (DSSI/sAD). British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 15, 387–394.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bond, M. J., & Feather, N. T. (1988). Some correlates of structure and purpose in the use of time. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 321–329.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Branthwaite, A. & Garcia, S. (1985). ‘Depression in the young unemployed and those on Youth Opportunities Schemes’. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 58, 61–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bullough, B. (1967). Alienation in the ghetto. American Journal of Sociology, 72, 469–478.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohn, E., & Lewis, M. V. (1975). Employers' experience in retaining hardcore hires. Industrial Relations, 14, 55–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Commonwealth of Australia (1994). Working nation: Policies and programs. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service.Google Scholar
Creed, P. A., Hicks, R., Machin, M. A. (1988). Behavioural plasticity and mental-health outcomes for long-term unemployed who attend occupational training programs. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 71, 171–191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Derogatis, L. R. (1983). SCL-90-R: Administration, scoring and procedures manual-II. Towson, MD: Clinical Psychometric Research.Google Scholar
de Lemos, M. M. (1989). Standard Progressive Matrices: Australian manual. Hawthorn, Vic.: Australian Council for Educational Research.Google Scholar
Eisenberg, P., & Lazarsfeld, P. F. (1938). The psychological effects of unemployment. Psychological Bulletin, 35, 358–390.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feather, N. T., & O'Brien, G. E. (1986a). A longitudinal analysis of the effects of different patterns of employment and unemployment on school-leavers. British Journal of Psychology, 77, 459–479.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feather, N. T., & O'Brien, G. E. (1986b). A longitudinal study of the effects of employment and unemployment on school leavers. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 59, 121–144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feldman, J. M. (1973). Race, employment, and the evaluation of work. Journal of Applied Psychology, 57, 372–377.Google Scholar
Fryer, D. M. (1985). Stages in the psychological response to unemployment: A (dis)integrative review. Current Psychological Research and Reviews, 4, 257–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fryer, D. M. (1986). Employment deprivation and personal agency during unemployment: A critical discussion of Jahoda's explanation of the psychological effects of unemployment. Social Behaviour, 1, 3–23.Google Scholar
Fryer, D. M., & Payne, R. L. (1984). Pro-active behaviour in unemployment: Findings and implications. Leisure Studies, 3, 273–295.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, D. P. (1978). Manual of the General Health Questionnaire. Windsor: NFER-Nelson.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. P., & Williams, P. (1988). A user's guide to the General Health Questionnaire. Windsor: NFER-Nelson.Google Scholar
Goodman, P., Salipante, P., & Paransky, H. (1973). Hiring, training, and retaining the hard-core unemployed: A selected review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 58, 23–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graetz, B. (1993). Health consequences of employment and unemployment: Longitudinal evidence for young men and women. Social Science and Medicine, 36(6), 715–724.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Henderson, R. F. (1975). Australian government commission of inquiry into poverty: Long term unemployed people under conditions of full employment. Commonwealth of Australia: Graphic Services.Google Scholar
Henwood, F., & Miles, I. (1987). The experience of unemployment and the sexual division of labour. In Fryer, D. & Ullah, P. (Eds.). Unemployed people (pp. 94–110). Milton Keynes: Open University Press.Google Scholar
Jackson, P. R., Stafford, E. M., Banks, M. H., & Warr, P. B. (1983). Unemployment and psychological distress: The moderating role of employment commitment. Journal of Applied Psychology, 68, 525–535.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jahoda, M. (1982). Employment and Unemployment: A Social-psychological Analysis. London: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Kelvin, P., & Jarrett, J. E. (1985). Unemployment: Its social psychological effects. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Layton, C. (1985). Unemployment and intelligence. Psychological Reports, 57, 653–654.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Llabre, M. M. (1985). Standard Progressive Matrices. In Keyser, D. J. & Sweetland, R. C. (Eds.). Test critiques (Vol. 1, pp. 595–601). Kansas City, MO: Test Corporation of America.Google Scholar
Machin, M. A. (1989). The role of general cognitive ability in employment. Discussion Paper: Department Employment Education and Training, Brisbane.Google Scholar
McCrae, S. (1987). Social and political perspectives found among unemployed young men and women. In Hudson, S., McCrae, S., & Wallace, C. (Eds.). The Social World of the Young Unemployed (pp. 61–92). London: Policy Studies Institute.Google Scholar
McKenna, F. P. (1984). Measures of field dependence: Cognitive style or cognitive ability? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 593–603.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morey, L. C. (1985). A comparative validation of the Foulds and Bedford hierarchy of psychiatric symptomatology. British Journal of Psychiatry, 146, 424–428.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Muller, J., Hicks, R., & Winocur, S. (1993). The effects of employment and unemployment on psychological well-being in Australian clerical workers: Gender differences. Australian Journal of Psychology, 45, 103–108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Payne, R. L. & Hartley, J. (1987). A test of a model for explaining the effective experience of unemployed men. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 60, 31–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Patton, W., & Noller, P. (1984). ‘Unemployment and youth: A longitudinal study’. Australian Journal of Psychology, 36, 399–413.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raven, J. C., Court, J. H., & Raven, J. (1983). Manual for Raven's Progressive Matrices and Vocabulary Scales, Part 3, Section 7, Research. London: H. K. Lewis & Co.Google Scholar
Rowley, K., & Feather, N. (1987). The impact of unemployment in relation to age and length of unemployment. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 60, 323–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sakellariou, A., & Creed, P. A. (1988). Survey of a long-term unemployed population. Discussion Paper: Department Employment Education and Training, Brisbane.Google Scholar
Searls, D. J., & Braucht, G. N. (1974). Work values of the chronically unemployed. Journal of Applied Psychology, 59(1), 93–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shamir, B. (1986). Protestant work ethic, work involvement, and the psychological impact of unemployment. Journal of Occupational Behaviour, 7, 25–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Triandis, H. C., Feldman, J. M., Weldon, D. E., & Harvey, W. M. (1975). Ecosystem distrust and the hard-to employ. Journal of Applied Psychology, 60(1), 44–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ullah, P., Banks, M., & Warr, P. B. (1985). Social support, social pressures and psychological distress during unemployment. Psychological Medicine, 15, 283–295.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van den Berg, J. M., & Woff, I. R. (1990). The ACER Applied Reading Test: Interim Manual. Forms A & B. Hawthorne, Victoria: Australian Council for Educational Research.Google Scholar
Warr, P. B. (1987). Work, unemployment and mental health. Oxford: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Warr, P. B., & Jackson, P. R. (1984). Men without jobs: Some correlates of age and length of unemployment. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 57, 77–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warr, P. B., & Jackson, P. R. (1987). Adapting to the unemployed role: A longitudinal investigation. Social Science and Medicine, 25, 1219–1224.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Willis, P. (1979). Youth unemployment and leisure opportunities. London: Department of Education and Science.Google Scholar
Willis, P. (1984). Youth unemployment: Thinking the unthinkable. Youth and Policy, 2, 17–36.Google Scholar
Winefield, A. H. (1995). Unemployment: Its psychological costs. In Cooper, C. L. & Robertson, I. T. (Eds.). International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
Winefield, A. H. (1997). Introduction to the psychological effects of youth unemployment: International perspectives. Journal of Adolescence, 20(3), 237–241.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winefield, A. H., & Tiggemann, M. (1985). Psychological correlates of employment and unemployment: Effects, predisposing factors and sex differences. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 58, 229–242.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winefield, A. H., & Tiggemann, M. (1989). Unemployment duration and affective well-being in the young. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 62, 327–336.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Winefield, A. H., & Tiggemann, M. (1990). Length of unemployment and psychological distress: Longitudinal and cross-sectional data. Social Science and Medicine, 31(4), 461–465.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Winefield, A. H., Tiggemann, M., Winefield, H. R. (1990). Factors moderating the psychological impact of unemployment at different ages. Personality and Individual Differences, 11, 45–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar