Some jobs are worse than no job

This could be a good argument for waiting a little longer to find that perfect job rather than take the first thing available: New research shows that it’s as bad to have a bad job as no job at all.

Employment does not always mean less stress

Typically employment, any type of employment, is linked to more health benefits. Studies have shown that having a job is linked to lower levels of psychiatric morbidity, or mental illness, than not having a job. A person’s mental health improves if they switch from unemployment to employment. However, other research has shown that the psychosocial characteristic of work have an impact on those health outcomes. Those characteristics are related to social and psychological behaviors in the work place.

A bad job leads to bad health outcome

In a report printed last year by these same researchers they found that the higher quality profession, the better the mental health. On the flip side, they found that people experience elevated levels of distress when they switch from unemployment to the poorest of psychosocial quality jobs. Those qualities were high demands, low control, low job esteem, and insecurity. Those who were unemployed and those who had stressful jobs showed the same amount of common mental disorders.

Employers should try to improve their job qualities

Most people believe employment provides a strong enough sense of security to overcome the stress that may come with it. That has not been shown to be untrue. “Policy efforts to improve community mental health should consider psychosocial job quality in conjunction with efforts to increase employment rates,” said associate professor Butterworth, lead author.

A positive work experience can improve a community

“The current results suggest that good quality work is associated with lower rates of psychiatric disorders. This provides policy makers, coordinators of workplace programs, and employers with a potential tool or leverage point for improving mental health in the community. The improvement of psychosocial work conditions, such as reducing job demands, and increasing job control, security, and esteem can flow on to improvements in employee’s mental health and reduce the burden of illness on public health systems,” concluded Butterworth.

Source: MedicalNewsToday, Psychological Medicine