Reyes, Franchesca Nhicole G.

11- Plato

1. Title: A Qualitative Study of the Psychological Impact of Unemployment on

Individuals
2. Author: Marie Conroy
3. Methods: Qualitative method, Semi-structured interviews, purposive sampling
method.

I. A Qualitative Study of the Psychological Impact of Unemployment on

Individuals

II. This research helps to examine the impact which unemployment can have
om an individual from a psychological and monetary perspective and to
explore the different attitudes and experiences of unemployment on the
psychological health of unemployed people from the 1930s to the present.
These studies have consistency demonstrated that unemployment has a
damaging impact on the psychological health the individual’s involved
(Creed et al, 2000). It also have a financial impact because there’s a loss of
income. The researcher use semi-structured interviews. Unemployment
can leave some individuals with feelings of worthlessness, lack of identity,
lack of motivation, embarrassment, and increased stress levels. The
findings of this research are relevant to the wider study of the
psychological and financial effects of unemployment as they are
interrelated and highlight to the personal impact which employment has on
individuals. This study highlighted that the impact of unemployment was
felt by all, but the impact was noticeably differently between participants
with both negative and positive outcomes.

III. Unemployed tend to have higher level of impaired mental health like
anxiety and depression. Unemployment lead will lead to poverty and debt.
Unemployment decreases the economy’s output. Loss of motivation and
social pressures will be felt. It fills the country’s youth with feeling of
hopelessness.

IV. In this research, Qualitative method was chosen as the research method.
Qualitative was used because it is the most relevant to undertake in this
research as it allowed greater capacity to gain more depth and meaning
based on an individuals experiences of unemployment along with their
 beliefs and feelings opposed to a quantitative approach which is more
numerically based. Semi-structured interviews were selected to carry out
this research, in this kind of interview permit scope for individuals to
answer question more on their on terms than the standardised interview
permits. In this research purposive sampling method is used to record the
interviews and all interviews were fully transcribed verbatim. Each
participants was presented with a similar set of questions relating to their
overall experiences of unemployment and the impact which it had on theor
lives. The questions were manly open ended questions such as ages, length
of unemployment and so on.

V. It is clear from the findings of this research study that unemployment can
affect individuals psychological well-being. As the narratives have shown,
unemployment can leave some individuals with feelings of worthlessness,
embarrassment, lack of motivation, lack of identity, and increased stress
levels. The unemployed do not all share similar experiences of
unemployment and are not all unhappy with their unemployment situation.
Some of the participants involved in this study acknowledged that their
standard of living and health has improved since losing their job, their
stress levels have decreased and family life due having more time for
others. All of these are interconnected, from analyzing the data. It emerged
that unemployment impact on all areas of an individuals.

VI. I think it is not enough just to appoint a case worker to an unemployed

individual. They can help but it is not that easy. Government should have
program for those who are unemployed. This research should have more
coping mechanism for psychological concerns that can help individuals.

VII. Bernett, J. (1994) Idle Hands- The experience of unemployment 1790-

1990. London: Routeledge

Buckerman, P. & Ilkakunas P. (2005) Exclusive effects of unemployment

on happiness. Helsinki Center of Economic Research

Kumar, R. (2005) The negative mental health of unemployment Meta-

analyses of cross-sectional and longitudinal data: Inaugural Dissertation

Turner, J. (1995) Economic context and the health and social. Belamor;
36(3), 213-229.

Whelan, C. Hannah, D. & Creighton, J. (1991) Unemployment, Poverty

and Psychological Distress. Dublin: The economic and Social Research
Institute