Loneliness raises the likelihood of future unemployment: Study

• Image Credit: WION

• Aug 23, 2022 | Kabir Chakraborty

"Our findings suggest that there might be further, wider ramifications that could harm people and the economy. We must investigate this further because it may lay the groundwork for employers or policymakers to address loneliness in order to keep more individuals in their jobs. " color:#252525">

color:#252525">Digital Desk: Recent studies suggest that being lonely may
increase the likelihood of being unemployed in the future. Later job loss is
substantially more likely for those who claim to "frequently feel
lonely." Researchers from the University of Exeter headed the team that
published the study's findings in the journal "BMC Public Health."

color:#252525">Although previous studies have shown that unemployment can lead
to loneliness, this new study is the first to specifically investigate whether
the contrary is also true among people of working age.

color:#252525">Additionally, they discovered that those who were jobless were
more likely to experience loneliness in the future, which was in line with past
studies.

color:#252525">Lead researcher Nia Morrish from the University of Exeter said:
"Due to the persistent and possibly harmful effects of both loneliness and
unemployment on health and the economy, prevention of both conditions is
crucial. Work may help people feel less lonely, and unemployment may help
people feel less lonely, both of which may have a positive effect on other
facets of life, such as health and quality of life."

color:#252525">In order to promote health and wellness, it is important to pay
special attention to loneliness and provide employers and the government with
additional support. "Since more people are working from home and may be
feeling more isolated due to concerns about COVID, we believe this problem may
be much more urgent now than it was before the pandemic."

color:#252525">Pre-pandemic data from more than 15,000 participants in the
Understanding Society Household Longitudinal Study was analysed for this study.
After adjusting for criteria like age, gender, ethnicity, education, marital
status, household composition, the number of own children in the home, and
geography, the team examined participant answers from 2017 to 2019 and again
from 2018 to 2020. "Loneliness is a very important societal problem, which
is generally considered in terms of its impact on mental health and wellness
solely," stated senior author Professor Antonieta Medina-Lara.

color:#252525">"Our findings suggest that there might be further, wider
ramifications that could harm people and the economy. We must investigate this
further because it may lay the groundwork for employers or policymakers to
address loneliness in order to keep more individuals in their jobs. "

color:#252525"> 

"Ours
is the first study to identify that lonely person of any working age are at
greater risk of becoming unemployed," says Dr. Ruben Mujica-Mota,
co-author of the study and Associate Professor of Health Economics at the
University of Leeds School of Medicine. Previous studies have demonstrated that
loneliness can result from unemployment.

"Our
study shows that these two issues might interact and result in a negative
feedback loop. It is important to comprehend the broader societal repercussions
of loneliness in the working-age population."