Description
Objective.The present study aimed to examine whether day-level engagement in various non-work activities can mitigate reactions of complicated grief and depression after involuntarily job loss.
Background.
From the perspective of the latent deprivation model of Jahoda, it can be hypothesised that unfulfilled basic needs (e.g., the need for time structure, affiliation and purpose in life) play a role in the development and maintenance of job loss related complicated grief reactions. That is, the intensity of these reactions has been found to be related to the disruption in a person’s day-to-day life, access to valuable activities, meaningful interactions, social relationships, loss of identity, and low self-esteem. Therefore, we hypothesised that engaging in non-work activities (e.g., meeting others, exercising, or conducting household chores) can fulfil these five basic needs and that fulfilment of these needs mitigates reactions of complicated grief as well as depression following involuntarily job loss.
Method.
A diary study was conducted on five consecutive days among 236 participants who had involuntarily lost their job, yielding 1,046 daily measures of the time spent on activities, the evaluation of these activities, and emotional distress. Participants were on average 52.4 years old (SD = 8.4 years), and the sample consisted of 44 males (21%) and 166 females (79%).
Results.
The results showed a negative relation between the fulfilment of most basic needs and job loss-related complicated grief reactions. Similar results were found for the fulfilment of most basic needs and depressive reactions. Overall, out of the 30 associations between activities and need fulfilment that were considered, 11 (i.e., 37%) provided statistically significant support for the notion that the time spent on a particular activity is related to the degree to which the five basic needs are fulfilled. These relationships can be negative (e.g., the higher the involvement in relaxing activities, the lower the need fulfilment) or positive (more involvement in meaningful, social and – to some degree – high-duty and physical activities, is associated with higher need fulfilment). Furthermore, when participants found the time invested in a particular activity useful, they were likely to report higher levels of need fulfilment. Unfortunately, the mediation of the basic needs between daily activities on the one hand and reactions of job loss-related complicated grief and depression on the other hand could not be confirmed as the effect sizes were too small.
Limitations.
We did not consider intrapersonal and contextual factors that might have affected the engagement in activities and symptom levels observed in this study. It seems likely that the baseline level for JLCG and depressive symptoms on which a person starts the study, can affect the daily fluctuations of emotional distress, as well as what type of activities someone undertakes. For example, depressed participants may be relatively inactive, making it difficult to detect effects of daily activities on emotional distress due to restriction of the range of the time spent on these activities.
Conclusions.
In general, the current results suggest that in terms of their impact on the fulfilment of basic needs and levels of emotional distress, the perceived utility of daily activities is more important than the time invested in these activities. For unemployed individuals this implies that to dampen the adverse effect of their job loss, they must undertake activities which they consider useful. Mental health professionals seeking to alleviate reactions of job loss-related complicated grief or depression after job loss need to consider carefully which type of activities are suitable for individual clients.
Relevance Congress Theme.
The current study seems to be best reflect topic ‘18. Well-being’ of the Congress. Since the emphasis is on whether fulfilment of basics needs (Jahoda) and engagement in daily non-work activities can dampen the adverse effects of job loss.
Relevance UN Sustainable Development Goals.
The current study results are related to the UN SDGs ‘Good health and well-being’. The study results highlight the significance of tailor-made behavioural interventions as well as preventive measures, where the evaluation of an activity by a participant must be decisive rather than general guidelines about which activities are supportive for persons with high levels of job loss-related complicated grief or depression symptoms after involuntary job loss.
Authors of the manuscript (2023).
Van Eersel, J. H.W., Taris, T. W., & Boelen, P. A.
| Period | 25 May 2023 |
|---|---|
| Event title | EAWOP 2023 - The future is now: The changing world of work |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Katowice, PolandShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |