Decent Work and Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Case of Un-/Under-employed Workers

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Previous work crises have shown that un-/under-employment can have detrimental mental health effects. Workers facing issues related to employment and decent work now have the added stress of physical harm from the respiratory disease known as COVID- 19. This situation presents workers with threats to financial security, physical health, and mental health. However, the presence of coping skills such as perceived social support, resilience, self-esteem, and social class could have a protective effect on mental health outcomes. The aim of this descriptive study was to examine how conditions during a pandemic affect underemployed and unemployed workers’ mental health and psychological well-being. Data (n = 200 un-/under-employed adults) were examined to understand the relationship between decent work and mental health symptoms, as well as the effect of coping skills, resilience, self-esteem, social class, and social support. Decent work was related to mental health symptoms in the expected directions. The examination of differences between unemployed and underemployed workers on measures of social support, resilience, self-esteem, economic constraints, social prestige and measures of mental health symptoms, found differences in workers’ perception of economic constraints, self-esteem, and social prestige, as well as levels of stress, anxiety, and depression. Underemployed workers reported lower perceptions of their social status, more economic constraints, and higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. Lastly, examination of the impact of prior mental health issues, found that workers’ who reported no prior diagnosis differed significantly from those with two or more diagnoses on measures of self-esteem, resilience, and social support.