Health effects of unemployment—I. Long-term unemployed men in a rural and an urban setting

Abstract

Between 1983 and 1987 in an urban and a rural Dutch area employed and long-term unemployed men, between 30 and 50 years old, have been interviewed. The main topics of the study were the independent health effects of unemployment, the factors related to these health effects and socio-culural differences. Long-term unemployment is considered to be a social phenomenon that restructures individual's social positions into multiple deprived positions. The characteristics of this restructuring are a relative lack of socio-structural resources, low social participation and emotional problems. Independent effects on the health status (perceived somatic and depressive complaints and self reported chronic disease) have been found to exist among both the rural and the urban unemployed. There is no clear effect of unemployment on health care use, but regional differences in health care use among rural and urban unemployed have been found. Between the urban and rural unemployed there are more similarities than differences in the factors and models explaining ill-health. The most important factors are: loneliness, disadvantageous consequences of unemployment, money worries and ill-health prior to jobloss (health selection at the labour market). One important difference is that among the urban unemployed the perceived size of the network is an explanatory factor, but among the rural unemployed perceived stigmatization is more important. In general, ill-health can be better explained for the rural unemployed than for the urban unemployed.