Abstract
ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to examine associations and interactions of education, and physical and mental health with unemployment in early, mid, and late work life.MethodsThis cross-sectional study uses data from 69,118 respondents from Lifelines. Health status was measured with the RAND-36, education was self-reported, and participants working <12 h per week or indicating to be unemployed were considered unemployed. The relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI) was calculated to measure interaction on the additive scale.ResultsInteractions of low education and poor mental health were found in early [RERI: 2.14; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.63, 3.65], mid (1.41; 0.61, 2.20) and late (0.63; 0.09, 1.17) work life. Interaction between low education and poor physical health was only found in mid-work life (1.27; 0.61, 1.93).ConclusionsLow education and poor physical and mental health exacerbate each other’s impact on unemployment varying by work life stage. Policies addressing unemployment may become more effective if they better account for the physical and mental health status of adults in certain stages of their work life.
Highlights
Employment status is a major social determinant of health and well-being (McKee-Ryan et al 2005; Bowling 1995)
In contrast to the analysis described in the second step, these analysis show the effect of education on unemployment separately for participants with poor and good health and the effect of health on unemployment separately for participants with low, medium, and high education
A total of 69,118 participants were included in the study, of whom 19.5% were in their early work life, 57.7% in midwork life and 22.8% in late work life (Table 1)
Summary
Employment status is a major social determinant of health and well-being (McKee-Ryan et al 2005; Bowling 1995). Employment provides financial security, the opportunity to fulfil a social role, and is important for physical and mental health (McKee-Ryan et al 2005; Bowling 1995). Low education is one of the most important determinants of employment status (Robroek et al 2013; Schuring et al 2013; Thielen et al 2013; Alavinia and Burdorf 2008; Siegrist et al 2007; Barham et al 2009; OECD 2010). Studies have shown that once in the workforce, low educated individuals are at increased risk for transition from paid employment into unemployment, disability pension, and early retirement (Schuring et al 2013; Alavinia and Burdorf 2008)
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