Updated on
Summary
The fear of losing your job can do a number on your nerves, and new research shows it can have negative effects on your overall physical and mental health, as well. Researchers found that managers and other professionals who were under a strong threat of being laid off were more than three times as likely to report depression, anxiety or being in poor health than people in more secure positions. And people who said they worked in highly stressful jobs with little control over how and when they work were also more likely than others to have depression or anxiety. An increasing number of people are working in high-stress and insecure jobs, according to the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health report. As a result, study authors, lead by Dr. Rennie M. DSouza of the Australian National University in Canberra, said that health problems among workers could be on the rise. Individual companies that are under financial strain and need to lay off a significant portion of workers may show higher rates of employee health problems than more secure companies, DSouza predicted. To obtain their findings, DSouza and colleagues asked 1188 people in their early 40s to complete questionnaires about their job conditions and mental and physical health. DSouza explained that the burden of job insecurity may be higher in the study participants and other people in their early 40s, who often have families to support.
