The detection of psychiatric illness by questionnaire

Policy decisions at the organizational, corporate, and governmental levels should be more heavily influenced by issues related to well-being—people’s evaluations and feelings about their lives. Domestic policy currently focuses heavily on economic outcomes, although economic indicators omit, and even mislead about, much of what society values. We show that economic indicators have many shortcomings, and that measures of well-being point to important conclusions that are not apparent from economic indicators alone. For example, although economic output has risen steeply over the past decades, there has been no rise in life satisfaction during this period, and there has been a substantial increase in depression and distrust. We argue that economic indicators were extremely important in the early stages of economic development, when the fulfillment of basic needs was the main issue. As societies grow wealthy, however, differences in well-being are less frequently due to income, and are more frequently due to factors such as social relationships and enjoyment at work.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00501001.x

Beyond Money Toward an Economy of Well-Being

Unemployment impairs mental health: Meta-analyses

The authors used theoretical models to organize the diverse unemployment literature, and meta-analytic techniques were used to examine the impact of unemployment on worker well-being across 104 empirical studies with 437 effect sizes. Unemployed individuals had lower psychological and physical well-being than did their employed counterparts. Unemployment duration and sample type (school leaver vs. mature unemployed) moderated the relationship between mental health and unemployment, but the current unemployment rate and the amount of unemployment benefits did not. Within unemployed samples, work-role centrality, coping resources (personal, social, financial, and time structure), cognitive appraisals, and coping strategies displayed stronger relationships with mental health than did human capital or demographic variables. The authors identify gaps in the literature and propose directions for future unemployment research.

Psychological and physical well-being during unemployment: a meta-analytic study.

Although religiosity is protective for mortality and morbidity, its relationship with depression is unclear. We used the 1994 Alameda County Study survey of 2,537 subjects aged 50-102 to analyze associations between two forms of religiosity and depression as well as the extent to which religiosity buffers relationships between stressors and depression. Non-organizational religiosity included prayer and importance of religious and spiritual beliefs; organizational religiosity included attendance at services and other activities. Non-organizational religiosity had no association with depression; organizational religiosity had a negative relationship that weakened slightly with the addition of health controls. Both forms of religiosity buffered associations with depression for non-family stressors, such as financial and health problems. However, non-organizational religiosity exacerbated associations with depression for child problems, and organizational religiosity exacerbated associations with depression for marital problems, abuse, and caregiving. Religiosity may help those experiencing non-family stressors, but may worsen matters for those facing family crises.

Religiosity Buffers Effects of Some Stressors on Depression but Exacerbates Others

This paper examines the relationship between employment status and psychological well-being for a sample of British Asians; and explores the role of religiosity both as a direct predictor of well-being and as a moderator of the impact of unemployment. Two samples of male employed (N = 69) and unemployed (N = 71) British Asians were interviewed, selected to be equivalent in age and a number of demographic variables. Findings showed poorer psychological well-being for the unemployed group, and especially for those of middle age; thus replicating findings for white groups. Furthermore, the hypothesis of religiosity as buffering the impact of unemployment was confirmed. Results are interpreted in terms of transactional models of stress, and the benefits of religious belief and practice for unemployed people of Asian background are discussed.

Religiosity as a predictor of well-being and moderator of the psychological impact of unemployment.

This paper presents the results of a study of unemployment among British Asians living in the north of England. The sample comprises 139 employed and unemployed men. Using standardized psychological questionnaires with a semi-structured interview schedule, the psychological consequences of unemployment are examined in relation to other psychosocial variables. The results showed that the unemployed group had lower levels of psychological well-being, selfesteem, and employment commitment with high external beliefs, than the employed group. Length of unemployment was a significant determinant of psychological well-being and respondents with a longer period of unemployment had a lower level of psychological well-being than those who had been unemployed for a shorter period. The findings are examined in the context of existing empirical evidence, and the need to examine the psychological impact of unemployment among other British Asian groups is emphasized.

The impact of unemployment on the psychological well-being of British Asians

Introduction: recent developments in work and organizational psychology: implications for international business. Issues in Business Psychology: an international perspective. Global human resource management. Ghost workers: Implications of new workforce realities for organizations and their workers. Team working in organizations: implications for workplace safety. Emotions at work: overview of research and implications for practice. Mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures: issues of identity and identification. Complexity theory: relevance to work psychology and recent developments. Future of international business and management: an overview. Conclusions.

Manfusa Shams

Papers

Religiosity as a predictor of well-being and moderator of the psychological impact of unemployment.

The impact of unemployment on the psychological well-being of British Asians

Developments in work and organization psychology : implications for international business