Research studies have found evidence of decreased psychological well-being due to low self esteem and

feeling worthlessness among unemployed professionals, poorer outcomes among those unemployed
over the longer-term (Cassidy, 2011; Lucas et al., 2004; Mckee-Ryan et al., 2005). Furthermore, research
has shown that unemployed individuals who has college degrees are especially at risk of developing
psychological problems, including psychological scarring as a result of elevated levels of psychological
distress in adulthood wherein societal presusrre sit in (Daly & Delaney, 2013; Ferguson et al., 2011; Hess
et al., 2014; Meeus et al., 2012; Paul & Moser, 2009).

Cassidy, T. (2011). Self-categorization, coping, and psychological health among unemployed midcareer
executives. Counselling Psychology Quarterly Retrieved December 29, 2017

Daly, M., & Delaney, L. (2013). The scarring effect of unemployment throughout adulthood on
psychological distress at age 50: Estimates controlling for early distress and childhood psychological
factors. Social Science & Medicine Retrieved December 27, 2017

Hess, L. E., Petersen, A. C. & Mortimer, J. (2014). Youth unemployment and marginality: The problem
and solution. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved December 22, 2017

Ferguson, D. M., Horwood, J. L. & Woodward, L. J. (2011). Unemployment and psychosocial adjustment
in young adults: Causation or selection? Social Science & Medicine Retrieved December 19, 2017

Meeus, W., Dekovic, M., & Ledema, J. (2012). Unemployment and identity in adolescence: A social
comparison perspective. The Career Development Quarterly Retrieved December 29, 2017

Paul, K. L. & Moser, K. (2009). Unemployment impairs mental health: Meta-analyses. Journal of
Vocational Behavior Retrieved December 28, 2017

The coping style and coping strategies an individual adopts to cope with a stressful situation such as
unemployment is dependent on individual characteristics and the controllability of the situation, which
may lead to either the maintenance or deterioration of health (Dollard & Winefield, 2012; Endler et al.,
2010; Mckee-Ryan et al., 2015; Sojo & Guarino, 2011). Research conducted in the United Kingdom and
in South Africa has found that where unemployment levels are high, and where unemployment is the
norm, the less stigma there is attached to being unemployed, and that social disapproval is less
prevalent reducing some of the psychological consequences of unemployment (Cassidy, 2011;
Powdthavee, 2015)

Cassidy, T. (2001). Self-categorization, coping, and psychological health among unemployed midcareer
executives. Counselling Psychology Quarterly Retrieved December 28, 2017

Dollard, M. F. & Winefield, A. H. (2012). Mental health: Overemployment, underemployment,

unemployment, and healthy jobs. Australian E-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health
Retrieved December 29, 2017

Endler, N. S., Speer, R. L., Johnson, J. M., & Flett, G. L. (2010). Controllability, coping, efficacy, and
distress. European Journal of Personality, Retrieved December 27, 2017

Powdthavee, N. (2015). Are there geographical variations in the psychological cost of unemployment in
South Africa? Social Indicators Research, Retrieved December 29, 2017

Sojo, V., & Guarino, L. (2011). Mediated moderation or moderated mediation: Relationship between
length of unemployment, resilience, coping and health. The Spanish Journal of Psychology Retrieved
December 26, 2017

. Mckee-Ryan and others (2015) pointed out certain gaps in unemployment research and emphasised
the need for more transactional research on how people cope with unemployment, the coping
strategies they utilised, and why individuals with the same circumstances during unemployment may
appraise their situation differently. Furthermore, De Witte and others (2012) recommend that future
research include investigation into the experiences of the unemployed people, their job application
behaviour and coping, as well as their subjective well-being in other contexts.

Mckee-Ryan, F., Kinicki, A., Song, Z., & Wanberg, C. R. (2015). Psychological and physical wellbeing

during unemployment: a meta-analytic study. Journal of Applied Psychology Retrieved December 18,
2017
De Witte, H., Rothmann, S., & Jackson, L. (2012). The psychological consequences of unemployment in
South Africa. The South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences Retrieved December
29, 2017

Exploration how they cope up