Recent Research on the Psychological Effects of Unemployment

Economic turbulence in the early 1980s stimulated not only popular and governmental concern about the effects of unemployment, but also extensive research on the topic. This journal issue presents 10 representative reports of such recent research from the United States and Europe. Of the two principal methodologies used in this field, aggregate time-series analysis and individual-level surveys, this issue is limited to the individual-level literature. Two papers provide a social psychological and human developmental orientation to the topic. Then, six papers address the psychological costs of unemployment, four based on population surveys and two dealing with plant closings. Finally, two papers describe policy responses being considered or implemented in North America and Europe.     

Psychological Effects of Unemployment on Workers and Their Families

This paper reviews findings from a panel study of Boston area unemployed men and their families. Psychological effects of unemployment on workers and their wives are summarized, particularly for the first half year of joblessness. Family responses to job loss are also examined, including the role of the marital relationship in buffering workers' stress. Finally, policy and service implications of this research are discussed. Consideration is given not only to the mental health needs of workers, but to frequently overlooked qualities of efficacy and resilience among the unemployed.     

Realities and Constraints: Pathways For Female School Leavers

This article analyses the pathways open to female; leavers as they make the transition from school to work or to post-secondary education. Trends which have social significance are investigated in terms of participation rates, employment patterns, representation across areas in post-secondary education, and status attainment within employment. Four types of explanations for the sex-differentiated pathways found were explored: sex-role socialization, value orientations, the opportunity structure, and discriminatory practices. The significance of differential patterns is explored within the general context of equality of opportunity and the increasing impact of technological change.     

谈梁晓声知青小说中的反思性问题

梁晓声知青小说以浓重的知青情结和对理想主义、英雄主义的高扬而独树一帜,在20世纪80年代的知青小说创作领域占据了重要的一席之地,不过,其知青小说因此而招来了不少的批评和质疑的声音,被认为小说中缺乏对知青运动、文革历史的深刻反思与批判。然而,纵观梁晓声的知青小说创作的流变,不难发现其小说创作的深层动因远不是一些论者所批评的那样简单,而是梁晓声的知青情结与创作伦理的背后更为主要的原因,在于为一代知青的青春和生命找寻意义与价值的明证。     

Personal and Aggregate Unemployment and Psychological Symptoms

Four different types of individual-level unemployment experiences were studied in relation to psychological symptoms: (1) current unemployment following a recent involuntary job loss, (2) unemployment among students or homemakers, (3) reemployment after recent job loss, and (4) either voluntary or long-term (greater than 6 months) unemployment. Aggregate unemployment (the prevailing rate in the surveyed community) was also studied, both alone and in interaction with each of the four individual-level unemployment conditions. These five variables were each related positively to psychological symptoms, whether measured as a continuous variable or as a dichotomous variable simulating a case/non- case split, and controlling for the usual demographic variables and various other stressful life events. Little evidence was found for interactions of the unemployment conditions with aggregate unemployment or with potential moderators. A small panel study provided a partial longitudinal check for several of these cross-sectional findings. The findings are discussed in terms of public policy options.     

Unemployment and Mental Health: Some British Studies

Within the context of the British labor market, 11 investigations into the mental health impact of unemployment are described. These reveal significant decrements for people of all ages as a result of moving into unemployment, and for middle-aged men additional effects of continuing joblessness. Research into factors mediating the harmful impact of unemployment has covered time since job loss, employment commitment, social relationships, gender, ethnic group membership, social class, local unemployment rate, and personal vulnerability. Findings with respect to each are summarized, and a model of influential environmental characteristics is introduced. Additional British investigations are cited throughout the paper.     

Unemployment and Labour Market Policies: Some Lessons from West Germany

The author points out that West Germany has had low inflation, high industrial efficiency, and good vocational training, but has not escaped rising levels of unemployment. After an analysis of employment trends in Germany since 1945 there is a review of varying government policies in public expenditure and in dealing with unemployment. The author relates demographic trends to employment patterns, and refers to such phenomena as the "dormant labour force", concluding that unemployment will remain high. He reviews the effects of social security benefits and of job creation schemes. He concludes that none of the well-known remedies for unemployment have proved effective in themselves but that short-term job creation schemes are very much a "second-best". He concludes that industrial efficiency — though essential — is not enough in itself and that conquering inflation or providing youth training are shown by the German example to be only a partial help and not a solution to improving employment prospects.     

试论中职学校学生的心理教育

随着社会经济的快速发展,成长中的中等职业学校的学生面临着越来越严重的社会心理压力,他们在学习、生活和社会适应方面必然会遇到种种困难和挫折,难免会出现这样或那样的心理问题。如何帮助中职学生提高心理素质,健全人格,增强承受各种心理压力和处理心理危机的能力,以迎接将来社会的严峻挑战,是中职学校德育工作所面临的迫切问题。     

Unemployment in Spain

This article describes the problem of unemployment in Spain and its recent evolution. Data on unemployment in relation to economic growth and some basic demographic characteristics are presented. We also analyze programs designed to reduce unemployment and others to protect unemployed people as different aspects of developing the welfare state in Spain. The framework for analyzing the welfare state is the evolution of industrial relations. Other problems about unemployment are analyzed, including geographical disparities between northern and southern Spain, where rural unemployment is especially severe. We offer an overall perspective on the problem and the government initiatives to ameliorate it.     

学校社会工作与学校心理健康教育之比较研究

现今社会,心理健康问题凸显,人们对学生心理健康的重视程度也不断加深,学校心理健康教育在维持学生心理健康方面发挥着重要的作用,但其存在的问题也越来越明显。而此时,随着学校社会工作的兴起,越来越多的心理健康教育者开始重视学校社会工作在学生心理健康工作中作用。本文则以此为研究点,探讨学校社会工作与学校心理健康教育在目的、对象和方法上存在的异同,以便更好阐述学校社会工作和心理健康教育二者的地位和作用。     

Aggressive and Prosocial Peer Group Functioning: Effects on Children's Social,School, and Psychological Adjustment

This study examined the effects of aggressive and prosocial contexts of peer groups on children's socioemotional and school adjustment. Data on informal peer groups, social functioning, and different aspects of adjustment were collected from multiple sources in a sample of elementary school children (149 boys, 181 girls; M age = 10 years). Multilevel analyses indicated that group aggressive and prosocial orientations made direct contributions to children's social, school, and psychological functioning. Group contexts also moderated the individual‐level relations between social behavior and self‐perceptions; prosocial behavior was associated with social or scholastic self‐perceptions more evidently in low prosocial and high aggressive groups. The results suggest that the peer group is an important context for children's performance and adjustment in various domains.     

Effects of Unemployment on Health in a Community Survey: Main, Modifying, and Mediating Effects

Results from a community survey in a sample of high-unemployment census tracts in southeastern Michigan showed significant elevations of depression, anxiety, somatization, and self-reported physical illness among the currently unemployed. These adverse effects were largely reversed by reemployment. Subsequent analyses documented modifying effects of social support, self-concept, and coping. We also found two mediating processes that account for the overall effects of current unemployment: (a) the intervening effects of financial strain, and (b) an influence of unemployment in creating heightened vulnerability to other stressful life events. The implications of these results for the design and implementation of preventive interventions are briefly discussed.     

浅析学校社工方法介入高校班级心理委员培训

本文将学校社会工作专业手法引入到学生工作中的班级心理委员培训中,借鉴相关的工作方法,进行一些初步的探索,主要体现在培训心理委员在解决学生发展性问题时运用团体社会工作方法,培训心理委员在解决学生个别问题中运用个案社会工作方法以及培训心理委员在协调各类资源为同学服务过程中运用社区社会工作方法。实践证明,把学校社工方法应用到班级心理委员培训中,可以发挥其特有的优势。     

The Cost of High Unemployment

In response to R. A. B. Leaper's challenge in the last issue of this journal we present a report which we have just prepared for the BBC North-East. We believe that a better understanding of the costs of high unemployment to the country is needed to inform decisions on how much we can afford to pay to tackle the problem. In the final section of the paper we show how this evidence can be of value in costing policy options.
The last detailed costings of unemployment were published in 1982 for the financial year 1981/82. In February 1982 it appears that a political decision was taken not to publish the latest Treasury estimate updating their 1981 calculations. Since then numerous parliamentary questions on the subject have received very limited answers disputing the validity of the whole exercise.     

优势视角下中学生团体心理辅导的思考

学校团体心理辅导是青少年心理健康教育的重要方法之一,能做到对心理问题的积极预防。本文论述的是在优势视角下,采用参与式方法对中学生展开团体心理辅导,关注学生抗逆力的提升,主要从对朋辈群体的归属感、内在优势因素以及自我效能感的培养三方面展开论述。