Abstract
An exploratory investigation into the experiences of unemployed university graduates with common mental health issues (i.e., depression and anxiety) was conducted using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Analysis of semi-structured interviews with 12 graduates in their twenties, all of whom had been unemployed between five and 24 months with common mental health issues, generated themes relating to “Loss of Expectation and Disorientation”, “Waste, Failure and Blame”, and “Stigma and Shame”. Participants had experienced a “Fall from Grace”—a descent from a vaunted position of high-esteem and importance as university graduates, with seemingly bright prospects for a privileged future, into a lowly state of unemployment with mental health issues, leaving them feeling tarnished. These findings are discussed in relation to the literature on graduate unemployment, crisis and stigma, raising some practical issues for universities, including counselling services, and how they can better manage the transition to employment for their graduates.
Highlights
Little is known about their experiences once they leave university, as they attempt to carve out a career for themselves in a highly competitive graduate jobs market (Institute of Student Employers [ISE], 2020), which has been further intensified by the COVID-19 crisis, as graduate employers reduce their planned recruitment (ISE & Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services [AGCAS], 2020)
They had undergone a major transition in their lives: from a vaunted and lofty position of high-esteem, rank and importance as university graduates, with seemingly bright prospects for a privileged future, they experienced a dramatic descent into a lowly state of unemployment with mental health issues
Participants’ response to this “fall” and the meanings that they ascribed to it were organised around three constituent sub-themes: 1) Loss of Expectation and Disorientation, 2) Waste, Failure and Blame, and 3) Stigma and Shame, which are explored below
Summary
How to cite this paper: Cockshott, C. J., Kiemle, G., Byrne, P., & Gabbay, M. A Fall from Grace: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Unemployment in UK University Graduates with Common Mental Health Issues. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 9, 291-313. Received: December 17, 2020 Accepted: January 22, 2021 Published: January 25, 2021
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