Mikael Nordenmark

Towards a Sociological Understanding of Mental Well-Being among the Unemployed: The Role of Economic and Psychosocial Factors

Classic research on unemployment and mental health has focused on the functions of employment. These functions are considered to be of equal importance for all unemployed. A critique of this perspective has been that it views the unemployed as passive and homogeneous. Instead, an agency approach has been suggested, which focuses on the individual goals of the unemployed. This paper develops and tests a model for understanding the differentiated mental consequences of unemployment, which on a theoretical level integrates both the structural restrictions of the unemployment situation and the agency of the individual. The model is based on previous findings which indicate that mental well-being is dependent on the economic need for employment, on the one hand, and on the psychosocial need for employment, on the other hand. The model integrates both these aspects and the results show that the combined effect is of central importance for the differentiated mental well-being of the unemployed. The analysis is based on a longitudinal survey of 3,500 randomly selected, unemployed Swedes.

Multiple Social Roles — a Resource or a Burden: Is it Possible for Men and Women to Combine Paid Work with Family Life in a Satisfactory Way?

The aim of this article is to study whether multiple social roles can be seen as a resource or a burden, or in other words, if a strong engagement in both paid work and family life is a positive or ...

Multiple Social Roles and Well-Being. : A Longitudinal Test of the Role Stress Theory and the Role Expansion Theory

In general, Western societies believe that people should engage in a multitude of social activities and develop multiple social roles. The assumption is that having multiple roles is beneficial to the individual. However, it also means that life is more complex and that people have to handle sometimes conflicting demands. Earlier research on the effects of multiple roles on individual well-being has not provided a clear picture, some results supporting the role stress theory and some the role expansion theory. This article tests empirically the relevance of the role stress theory and the role expansion theory by analysing whether having multiple social roles in general decreases or increases individual well-being. The results are based on a panel study of nearly 9000 randomly selected Swedes. The conclusion is that both number of social roles and any increase in social roles are negatively correlated with the risk of suffering from insomnia and a lingering illness, and the risk of being on regular medication for a lingering illness. These findings indicate that having multiple social roles increases individual well-being; the results therefore support the role expansion theory.

Fair or unfair? : Perceived Fairness of Household Division of Labour and Gender Equality among Women and Men: The Swedish case

The main aim of this study is to analyse how time use, individual resources, distributive justice and gender ideology influence perceptions of fairness concerning housework and gender equality. The analyses are based on survey data as well as on an interview study, both including Swedish couples. The quantitative results show that it is only factors connected to time use (division of housework and leisure time) that are significantly correlated to both perceptions of fairness concerning division of household labour and gender equality. Although the qualitative results in part confirm this picture, they also illustrate the complexity of concepts like fairness and equality. The interviews show that there are several factors and mechanisms at work in influencing perceptions of fairness and equality that were not possible to see from the quantitative analysis alone.

Employment commitment and psychological well-being among unemployed men and women

This paper studies employment commitment and psychological well-being among a random sample of 3,500 unemployed men and women in Sweden. The study observes which factors govern levels of employment commitment and if there are any significant differences between unemployed men and women in this respect. The article also discusses the importance of commitment to employment when analysing psychological well-being among the unemployed. As regards employment commitment among both men and women, the results emphasize the psychosocial value of the former job, the activity level while unemployed and age. However, the results also indicate that age and family situation affect unemployed womens and mens levels of commitment to paid employment in different ways. Further, both unemployed men and women who are strongly motivated to find employment for non-financial reasons have significantly higher risks of poor mental well-being than those with lower commitments to employment. Finally, The results speak against the hypothesis that the high unemployment rates among certain categories of people are mainly a result of low motivation to be employed.

Balancing work and family demands: Do increasing demands increase strain? A longitudinal study

Aims: The aim of this study is to analyse how increasing demands from work and family life affect the level of strain and whether there are any significant gender differences in this respect. This is be done by testing the following hypotheses: An increase in work and family demands causes (a) an increased risk of suffering from fatigue; (b) an increased need for working fewer hours. Methods: The hypotheses are analysed by using a longitudinal data set consisting of nearly 9,000 Swedish individuals. Results: Multiple demands increase the risk of suffering from fatigue among both women and men, but it is only among women that an increase in the percentage desiring a reduction in their working hours can be found. Conclusions: The results support the role stress theory, especially among women.

Unemployment, gender and mental health : the role of the gender regime

Existing research suggests that gender differences in the effect of unemployment on mental health are related to the different positions and roles that are available for men and women in society and the family; roles that are connected with their different psychosocial and economic need for employment. The aim of this article is to analyse the role of gender in the relationship between unemployment and mental wellbeing in Sweden, representing a gender regime with a similar need for employment among women and men, and Ireland, representing a gender regime in which the need for employment differs between women and men. The results, based on longitudinal data from the two countries, show that unemployment was more negatively related to mental health among men than among women in Ireland, while men and women were equally affected by unemployment in Sweden. Factors related to the family and economic situation, as well as gendered selection into the unemployment population, explains the difference in mental health between unemployed men and women in Ireland. The overall conclusion is that the context has a major influence on the relationship between unemployment, gender and mental health.

Psychosocial wellbeing and reasons for retirement in Sweden

ABSTRACT Given the increased heterogeneity of the transition from work to retirement, this study aimed to analyse the associations between different reasons for retirement and psychosocial wellbeing as a pensioner. The study used data from the Swedish Panel Survey of Ageing and the Elderly (PSAE), a nationally representative survey of the living conditions of older people in Sweden. The results show that almost one-half of all pensioners cited health problems as a contributory reason for ceasing work. Furthermore, those who retired for ‘push’ reasons, such as health problems or labour market factors, experienced lower psychosocial wellbeing than those who retired for other reasons. Moreover, the results show that those who were able to influence the time of their retirement enjoyed better psychosocial wellbeing than those who had little or no opportunity to do so. This was true when controlling for other factors relevant to the wellbeing of pensioners. The results lend support to the argument that, if a mans retirement is instigated because his skills are no longer required, there will be a decidedly negative effect on his wellbeing – and that this effect is stronger than the equivalent impact on a womans wellbeing. In relation to previous findings in this field, the results make it clear that retirement is far from a uniform process or state.

THE IMPACT OF UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIT SYSTEM ON THE MENTAL WELL-BEING OF THE UNEMPLOYED IN SWEDEN, IRELAND AND GREAT BRITAIN

ABSTRACT Although the availability of social support and psychological attachment to work have been shown to influence mental well-being in unemployment, the main determinant suggested in research is economic strain. Yet, though the level of state support in unemployment is the most crucial determinant of economic strain, there has been little research on the impact of welfare benefit regime on mental well-being among the unemployed. In this paper we compare the impact of benefit regime by comparing the unemployed in Britain, Ireland and Sweden. We find that the type of benefit received is an important determinant of mental distress with income replacement benefits being more beneficial than flat rate benefits. Results also show that different systems differentially impact on different groups with income replacement benefits tending to maintain pre-unemployment differences in distress and flat rate benefits equalising these differences.

Non-Financial Employment Motivation and Well-Being in different Labour Market Situations: A Longitudinal Study

This article examines non-financial employment motivation and mental well-being among people in different labour market situations, such as unemployment, stimulating employment or instrumental employment, and controls for the possibility that variations in motivation and well-being are either caused by present labour market status or are the result of a selection process. The article is based on a panel study of 1,782 Swedes who were interviewed at the beginning of 1996, when all were unemployed, and then again at the end of 1997, when the labour market situation had changed for some of them. The results show that, in 1997, the unemployed had the same level of employment commitment as individuals with instrumental jobs, but as compared to people with stimulating jobs, their non-financial employment motivation was weaker. In general, the unemployed report poorer mental well-being than the employed. Results support the hypothesis that the substantial changes in employment commitment and mental health observed between 1996 and 1997 are primarily due to the labour market situation in 1997. The results refute the notion that the level of employment motivation is a major determinant of the likelihood of getting a paid job.