title: Consequences of Job Insecurity on the Psychological and Physical Health of Greek Civil Servants.
abstract: The aim of this study was to estimate the short term consequences of job insecurity associated with a newly introduced mobility framework in Greece. In specific, the study examined the impact of job insecurity on anxiety, depression, and psychosomatic and musculoskeletal symptoms, two months after the announcement of the mobility framework. In addition the study also examined the "spill over" effects of job insecurity on employees not directly affected by the mobility framework. Personal interviews using a structured questionnaire were conducted for 36 university administrative employees awaiting repositioning, 36 coworkers not at risk, and 28 administrative employees of a local hospital not at risk. Compared to both control groups the employees in the anticipation phase of labor mobility had significantly worse scores for perceived stress, anxiety, depression, positive affect, negative affect, social support, marital discord, common somatic symptoms, and frequency of musculoskeletal pain. This study highlights the immediate detrimental effects of job insecurity on the physical, psychological, and social functioning of employees. There is a need for the development of front line interventions to prevent these effects from developing into chronic conditions with considerable cost for the individual and society in general.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 55131 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Dimitra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nella
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 55131 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Efharis
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Panagopoulou
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, "Papageorgiou" General Hospital, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 56403 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Nikiforos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Galanis
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational and Social Policy, University of Macedonia, Egnatia Street 156, 54636 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Montgomery
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University Campus, 55131 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Alexis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006115:Greece; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires