Job security, finances strongly related to increased anxiety during
pandemic

Date:
September 24, 2020
Source:
University of Connecticut
Summary:
For people still employed during the COVID-19 pandemic, job
insecurity and financial concern are associated with greater
symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to a new study.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
In mid-April 2020, the national unemployment rate reached 14.7 percent
-- the highest since the Great Depression. Forty-one million American
workers filed for unemployment between February and May of 2020.


========================================================================== Unprecedented unemployment rates don't just have an impact on the
unemployed, though. For people still employed during the COVID-19
pandemic, job insecurity and financial concern are associated with greater symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to findings from the UConn
School of Nursing published recently in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, or JOEM.

"The impact the virus and the pandemic is having on the economy and
employment is not surprisingly taking a big toll," says Natalie J. Shook,
a social psychologist, associate professor in the School of Nursing,
and principal investigator for the study.

The findings are part of a year-long examination of how behavior and
social attitudes change, and what factors influence those changes, when
people in the United States are faced with the threat of widespread
disease. Supported by a National Science Foundation grant, the study
is tracking the well-being, feelings, and behavioral practices of about
1,000 individuals across the United States, and more than 18 surveys of
the participants have already been conducted since March.

"We definitely are seeing, within our employed participants, higher rates
of anxiety than in individuals who indicated they were not employed,"
says Shook, noting that most study participants who are not employed
are retirees.

"Controlling for demographics, controlling for income level, and also
taking into account participant health and concerns about COVID --
and the extent to which people were engaging in social distancing or
quarantine -- we are seeing that job security and financial concerns
are the significant predictors associated with anxiety and depression."
The study asked participants to identify symptoms of anxiety by asking
if they were feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge, or if they were not
able to stop or control their worrying. They were also asked about the
extent of their financial concerns -- how worried they were about their employment and financial situation, if they expected their financial
situation to get worse over the next 12 months, and if they had the
means to secure food and housing for their family for the next 12 months.

Most study participants reported some level of worry about the effects
of COVID-19 on their employment. While previous studies have linked
large-scale disruptions like recessions and pandemics with poor mental
health, the researchers note that their study importantly expands on these associations by demonstrating independent links between greater financial concern with greater anxiety symptoms, and greater job insecurity with
greater depressive symptoms, after accounting for demographics, health,
and other COVID-19 concerns and experiences.

Shook and her research team say employers can play a critical role
in supporting the mental health of their employees by recognizing the
increased anxiety that workers experience when their job security feels threatened during the pandemic.

"Our results demonstrate the potential adverse consequences that job
insecurity and financial concern have on employee mental health," the researchers write.

"Based on these findings, for those experiencing depressive symptoms
during the pandemic, it may be particularly important for employers to
be mindful and try to minimize feelings of uncertainty for the employees,
as well as instilling hope or agency in employees. For those experiencing anxiety symptoms, employers could attempt to reduce financial concerns
by allowing employees to continue to work (eg, telework), even with
reduced hours and income, to ensure that employees do not lose their
entire income." This study is supported by NSF Award No. 2027027. UConn's Institute for Collaboration on Health, Intervention, and Policy (InCHIP)
is the managing institute for the grant.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Connecticut. Original
written by Jaclyn Severance. Note: Content may be edited for style
and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Jenna M. Wilson, Jerin Lee, Holly N. Fitzgerald, Benjamin
Oosterhoff,
Bariş Sevi, Natalie J. Shook. Job Insecurity and Financial
Concern During the COVID-19 Pandemic Are Associated With Worse
Mental Health.

Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, 2020; 62 (9):
686 DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000001962 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200924135325.htm

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