Termination: The Consequences of Job Loss

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cobb S ; Kasl SV
• Description:
  The health and behavioral effects of job loss and of the ensuing unemployment and job change experience were examined. One hundred male workers from two industrial facilities were evaluated over a 24 month period, beginning prior to the closing of the facility. Public health nurses visited the men in their homes to assess their physical and mental health. The subjects were 35 to 60 years of age, married, and had an average of 18 years seniority. They averaged 15 weeks of unemployment and 2.9 changes of employment during the 2 year study period. The subjects experienced a sense of deprivation, mood changes, and self identity problems. Physical health complaints were most prominent prior to termination. Physiological changes indicated an increased likelihood of coronary disease. Changes in blood sugar, pepsinogen, and uric acid indicated an increased risk of diabetes, peptic ulcer, and gout. An increase in arthritis and hypertension also was found. Three men suffered episodes of hair loss. The authors suggest that companies, unions and government agencies do not prepare adequately to deal with the human problems that result from job termination. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Mental Health Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Industrial-workers Job-evaluation Physiological-effects Psychological-effects Statistical-analysis Termination Time-loss
• Series:
  NIOSH Numbered Publications
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Report
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DBBS - Division of Biomedical and Behavioral Sciences
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00094214
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB-282991
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, OH: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHEW (NIOSH) Publication No. 77-224, 1977 Jun; :1-216
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1977
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f9e58f5e1b98db7bc2d3a201c7d7d29baf02acaccdef026d54eebe2ecf012c82e8b83a83894931c9fdad20b59fb245d6d0a239311d8857736935f7727a943a78
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/209375/cdc_209375_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 10.16 MB ]