title: Association between the transition from unemployment to re-employment after abrupt bankruptcy and the depressive symptoms.
abstract: The study aimed to examine the effects of long-term unemployment and the transition from unemployment to re-employment after abrupt bankruptcy on the mental health of unemployed Japanese. The cases of 96 men and 54 women who were laid off by a large shoemaking company because of sudden bankruptcy in 1998, were examined for one year. The mental health of these individuals was evaluated using a 'self-rating questionnaire for depression (SRQ-D)'. The respondents were categorized by employment transition status into four groups: (1) still employed full-time, (2) unemployment to full-time employment, (3) unemployment to part-time employment, and (4) still unemployed. The prevalence rate of depressive symptoms in the 'still unemployed' group was significantly higher (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 4.33) than in the still employed group. Moreover, high levels of depressive symptoms were observed in the individuals in the 'unemployment to part-time employment' group (adjusted OR = 4.93). There was no significant risk of depressive tendency among individuals in the 'unemployment to full-time employment' group. The results suggest that the negative effect of re-employment to part-time employment on depressive symptoms is similar to that in long-term unemployment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan.
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagatomi
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishitake
authors.forename: Kunio
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shigemoto
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hoshiko
authors.forename: Yoshiyasu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Yoshie
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamaki
authors.forename: Mitsuyo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furumura
authors.forename: Junko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Muramoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016361:Bankruptcy; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014478:Unemployment / Q000523:psychology*