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Unemployment and risk of minor psychiatric disorder in young people: cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

M. H. Banks  and
P. R. Jackson
M. H. Banks*
Affiliation:
MRC/SSRC Social and Applied Psychology Unit, University of Sheffield
P. R. Jackson
Affiliation:
MRC/SSRC Social and Applied Psychology Unit, University of Sheffield
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr M. H. Banks, MRC/SSRC Social and Applied Psychology Unit, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN.
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Synopsis

Two age cohorts of young people were interviewed at times up to 2½ years after leaving school to investigate the association between unemployment and risk of minor psychiatric morbidity, as assessed by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), taking into account differences due to sex, ethnic group and educational qualifications. Cross-sectional data are presented on 2767 interviews. The psychometric properties of the GHQ justified the use of a total score. Although females had a higher risk of psychiatric morbidity, the strongest association was between unemployment and GHQ. The association between unemployment and GHQ scores was shown to be present after controlling for sex, ethnic group and educational qualification differences. Longitudinal analyses showed that the experience of unemployment was more likely to create increased symptoms, rather than the reverse.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , November 1982 , pp. 789 - 798
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

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