Abstract
Background
Although the health sciences have been observing the negative impact of mass unemployment on health for some time now, health reporting remains fragmentary.
Methods
The 2005 microcensus was conducted as an official random sample survey. A total of 380,000 households, comprising 820,000 individuals, took part. Providing health information was optional, with a response ratio of about 85%. The Scientific Use File contains a 70% subsample of the data set.
Results
As of the survey date, average annual illness rates for 2005 were 6.5% among unemployed and 26.6% among inactive persons seeking to work (not available). If unemployed and inactive persons seeking to work were pooled into the single group of “job seekers”, their average annual illness rate was 8.8%. This was significantly higher than for employed individuals, whose rate was 4.4%. However, the age-standardised odds ratios decreased from 2.2 to 1.8 for female job seekers and from 2.2 to 1.6 for male job seekers after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics, family type, household structure, education, vocational training, socioeconomic variables, disabilities, smoking status, and other factors. The children of job seekers who are the principal income earners were more than proportionally ill at the survey date, too. In multivariate model calculations, among persons who had been unemployed a year before, an illness lasting more than 12 months had the strongest impact on chances for present employment. Chances for reintegration were likewise substantially lower for persons with a disability.
Conclusion
The microcensus analyses confirm the multifarious interactions between health and occupational status. Unemployment constitutes a present challenge for public health.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Afentakis A, Bihler W (2005) Das Hochrechnungsverfahren beim unterjährigen Mikrozensus ab 2005. Federal Statistical Office (ed) Wirtschaft und Statistik 10:1039-1048
Creed PA, Bartrum D (2006) Explanations for deteriorating well-being in unemployed people: specific unemployment theories and beyond. In: Kieselbach T, Winefield AH, Boyd C, Anderson S (eds) Unemployment and health. Australian Academic Press, Bowen Hills Qld, pp 1–20
Eisenberg P, Lazarsfeld P (1938) The psychological effects of unemployment. Psychol Bull 35:358–390
Ezzy D (1993) Unemployment and mental health: a critical review. Soc Sci Med 1(37):41–52
Federal Statistical Office (StaBu) (2006a) Mikrozensus 2005. Wiesbaden
Federal Statistical Office (StaBu) (2006b) Mikrozensus: Population and Employment (Bevölkerung und Erwerbstätigkeit). Wiesbaden
Fryer D (1986) Employment deprivation and personal agency during unemployment: a critical discussion of Jahoda’s Explanation of the psychological effects. Soc Behav 1(3):3–23
Grobe T, Schwartz F (2003) Unemployment and Health (Arbeitslosigkeit und Gesundheit). Robert Koch-Institut (ed) Berlin
Hollederer A (ed) (2009) Promote Health of Unemployed! (Gesundheit von Arbeitslosen fördern!). Fachhochschulverlag, Frankfurt a.M.
Hollederer A (2010) Unemployment, health and prevention potential (Erwerbslosigkeit, Gesundheit und Präventionspotenziale). VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, Wiesbaden
Hollederer A, Brand H (eds) (2006) Unemployment, health and illness (Arbeitslosigkeit, Gesundheit und Krankheit). Hans Huber, Bern
International Labour Organization (ILO) (ed) (1998) Resolution concerning the measurement of underemployment and inadequate employment situations, adopted by the Sixteenth International Conference of Labour Statisticians. Genf
Jahoda M (1981) Work, employment, and unemployment—values, theories, and approaches in social research. Am Psychol 36(2):184–191
Jahoda M, Lazarsfeld P, Zeisel H (1933) Marienthal: the sociography of an unemployed community. Suhrkamp, Frankfurt
Kieselbach T, Winefield AH, Boyd C, Anderson S (eds) (2006) Unemployment and health. Australian Academic Press, Bowen Hills Qld
Lazarus RS (1966) Psychological stress and the coping process. McGraw-Hill, New York
Lazarus RS, Folkman S (1984) Stress, appraisal and coping. Springer, New York
Lechert Y, Schimpl-Neimanns B (2007) Mikrozensus Scientific Use File 2005. GESIS-ZUMA-Methodenbericht 2007/08
McKee-Ryan FM, Song Z, Wanberg CR, Kinicki AJ (2005) Psychological and physical well-being during unemployment: a meta-analytic study. J Appl Psychol 90:53–76
Murphy G, Athanasou J (1999) The effect of unemployment on mental health. J Occup Organ Psychol 72:83–99
Nordenmark M, Strandh M (1999) Towards a sociological understanding of mental well-being among the unemployed: the role of economic and psychosocial factors. Sociology 33(3):577–597
Paul KI, Moser K (2009) Unemployment impairs mental health: meta-analyses. J Vocat Behav 74:264–282
Warr P (1987) Work, unemployment and mental health. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Warr P, Jackson P, Banks M (1988) Unemployment and mental health: some British studies. J Soc Issues 44 4:47–68
Winefield AH (1995) Unemployment: its psychological costs. Int Rev Ind Organ Psychol 10:169–212
Conflict of interest
The author declares that he has no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hollederer, A. Unemployment and health in the German population: results from a 2005 microcensus. J Public Health 19, 257–268 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-010-0367-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-010-0367-1