Early unemployment can contribute to adult health problems: results from a longitudinal study of school leavers
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Study objective: To investigate the long term effects of early unemployment (a total of more than half a year of unemployment between the ages of 16 and 21) on health behaviour and psychological and somatic symptoms. Design: A 14 year follow up of a cohort of school leavers was conducted from 1981 to 1995. Information was collected by questionnaires. Setting: An industrial town in northern Sweden. Participants: The original cohort was defined as all pupils in a middle sized municipality in the last year of compulsory school at age 16 (n=1083). The participants were followed up between the ages of 16 and 30. The analysis included 96% of the original sample, 547 men and 497 women Main results: After controlling for initial health behaviour and symptoms as well as for working class background and late unemployment, early unemployment among young men and women showed a significant explanatory effect on smoking, psychological symptoms and—among men only—somatic symptoms after a follow up of 14 years. No correlation was found between early unemployment and late excess alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Early unemployment can contribute to adult health problems. Thus, youth unemployment constitutes a significant public health problem, which to a certain extent remains in adult age.
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Under- and unemployment are associated with negative health effects including increased anxiety and depressive symptoms, higher rates of mental health hospitalization, pain, alcohol abuse, and suicide.
“The negative health effects of under- and unemployment, or insufficient employment, are well known,2 including increased anxiety and depressive symptoms, and higher rates of mental health hospitalization, pain, alcohol abuse, and suicide.3–6”
From Feasibility and Acceptability of a Community-Based Modified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program for the Under- and Unemployed (2020) · cites this paper as [6]
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- Authors
- Hammarström, A., & Janlert, U.
- Affiliations
- Umeå University (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Hammarström, A
- ORCID
- Hammarström, A
- Venue
- Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2002-08
- Volume
- 56
- Issue
- 8
- Pages
- 624-630
- ISSN
- 0141-7681 (ISSN-L)
- 0143-005X
- 1470-2738
- PMC
- PMC1732218
- OpenAlex
- W1985404819
- Cited by
- 191
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 19
- FWCI
- 6.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Employment and Welfare Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
- Keywords
- youth unemployment, long-term health effects, health behavior, smoking, psychological symptoms, somatic symptoms, alcohol consumption, school leavers, young adults, working-class background
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Alcohol Drinking, Mental Disorders, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Male, Prospective Studies, Sex Factors, Somatoform Disorders, Student Dropouts, Sweden, Unemployment, Health Behavior, Odds Ratio
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