The impact of unemployment on psychosomatic symptoms and mental well-being.
The relationship between psychosomatic symptoms and mental well-being among unemployed (N = 132) and employed (N = 187) personnel of two similar wood-processing factories was studied. Mental well-being was measured by means of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-score) and the 13-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-score). The 13-item questionnaire assessing psychosomatic symptoms was used (PS-score). The 33 and 66 percentiles (tertiles) were formed on the basis of PS-score of the two groups separately. The highest PS-score percentile was compared with the combined first and second percentile. Higher PS-score implied impaired mental well-being especially in the unemployed but also in the control group. Insufficient social support and uncertainty about the future was associated with highest PS-score in the study group but not in the control group. High PS-score was associated with subjective mental problems in both groups. Impaired health and PS-score were associated in both groups. Our results suggest that unemployment is a powerful external stress factor and that psychosomatic symptoms were associated with impaired mental well-being.
Viinamäki
H
H
Department of Psychiatry, Kuopio University Hospital, Finland.
Koskela
K
K
Niskanen
L
L
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000275:Adjustment Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D012944:Social Support; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D014478:Unemployment / Q000523:psychology*