Unemployment and embitterment in contrast to general psychological distress

Abstract

Background: One reaction to injustice or humiliation is embitterment, a disabling emotion, which can hinder the pursuit of functional solutions for problems in life. Unemployment can be experienced differently, depending on the subjective appraisal of the cause, how a person came to being laid off, the consequences, and especially feelings of injustice.

Objective: The goal of this study is to explore the frequency and correlates of embitterment in unemployed persons in contrast to general psychological distress.

Methods: Self rating on the Posttraumatic Embitterment Scale (PTED scale), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and a survey on the unemployment status of 102 randomly selected persons who were waiting in a German unemployment agency office.

Results: A score of ≥6 on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was found in 40.2% of the sample, indicating severe psychological distress. Unemployment was seen as a severe, or very severe burden by 56% of participants, and judged as unjust by 40% of participants. An elevated score above 2 on the Posttraumatic Embitterment Scale was found in 25.5% participants. Appraisal and duration of unemployment, feelings of injustice, and age were related to embitterment, but not psychological distress.

Conclusions: Embitterment is a destructive emotion in reaction to unemployment, which can impair functional coping.

Keywords: Injustice; appraisal; humiliation; mental health; work place.