Financial Strain and Flourishing: An Exploratory Multisample Study on Emotion Regulation Among Unemployed Individuals

Unemployment is known as a stressful period with adverse effects on individuals' well-being and health, especially under economic pressure. Emotion regulation, a key component of emotional intelligence, was tested as a potential personal resource with implications in these links. This multisample study examined both the mediating and moderating roles of regulation of emotion (ROE) in the relationship between financial strain and flourishing. Two samples of unemployed individuals (Sample 1: N = 256; Sample 2: N = 401) completed well-validated questionnaires on ROE, financial strain, flourishing and sociodemographic information. Results revealed that financial strain was negatively associated with flourishing, while ROE showed a positive association with flourishing. ROE partially mediated the link between financial strain and flourishing, suggesting that financial strain not only impacts well-being directly but also indirectly through its links with ROE. Additionally, ROE buffered the link between financial strain and flourishing. These findings underscore the relevance of ROE in sustaining well-being among unemployed individuals facing economic strain. In conclusion, this study highlights the relevance of ROE in intervention programmes aimed at reducing the consequences of financial strain on the psychological well-being of unemployed individuals.

Emotional Intelligence, Mental Health, and Well-Being Outcomes in the Unemployed: The Moderating Role of Age

The main goal of this study was to examine the moderating role of age in the relationship between emotional intelligence (EI) and mental health indicators among unemployed individuals. A sample of 401 unemployed participants were evaluated per EI, depressive symptoms, and happiness. Moderation analyses showed that age moderated the relationship between EI and depressive symptoms after controlling for gender and length of unemployment, showing a stronger association among the younger participants with lower EI scores. However, this pattern was not found for happiness. These findings address knowledge gaps regarding age-EI interactions within mental health contexts and age's moderating effect on unemployment. Also, the importance of developing targeted EI training interventions to mitigate the negative mental health effects of unemployment is highlighted, especially among vulnerable demographic groups like the young unemployed.

Investing in resources: An interaction model of personal resources, commitment, and work achievement

OBJECTIVE

Management practice commonly assumes that the value of a work-goal dictates the nature of motivation processes. We investigate instead how individuals invest resources from the perspective of their own value system. Drawing from Conservation of Resources theory, we explore the valuation process by testing a reciprocal model between work-goal attainment, goal commitment, and personal resources, including self-efficacy, optimism, and subjective well-being.

METHOD

Data were collected in a two-wave longitudinal study among sales professionals (n = 793) from France (F), Pakistan (P), and the United States (U).

RESULTS

Multi-group cross-lagged path analysis confirmed the reciprocal model across all three countries. Time 1 resources and goal commitment predicted work goal attainment (F = 0.24; P = 0.37; U = 0.39) and (F = 0.31; P = 0.40; U = 0.36) respectively. T1 level of goal attainment also fuelled T2 resources and goal commitment (F = 0.30; P = 0.29; U = 0.34) and (F = 0.33; P = 0.32; U = 0.29).

CONCLUSIONS

Our reciprocal findings suggest a revised approach on the nature of targets and goals. They indicate an alternative to linear path modeling, as the role of goal commitment is not necessarily that of an intermediary stage linking antecedent resources to attainment purposes. Furthermore, cultural values play a differentiating role in the goal-attainment process.

Back Onside protocol: A physical activity intervention to improve health outcomes in people who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment

Given the effects of physical activity on people's mental and physical health, a better understanding is needed of how physical activity interventions may impact the health of people who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment. This has added urgency in the context of rising rates of poverty-related unemployment in the UK in 2022. The current paper details the protocol used in the evaluation of the Back Onside Programme; a community-based programme delivered by the Bradford Bulls Foundation in the Bradford District. The Programme supports people from low socio-economic backgrounds who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment to maintain regular physical activity through a ten-week physical activity intervention. This pilot study evaluates how a physical activity intervention may impact the mental and physical health of people who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment in an uncontrolled pragmatic pilot study. Four cohorts run back-to-back between May 2021 and May 2022, with separate groups for men (N = 100) and women (N = 60). Physical and wellbeing assessment at baseline and post-intervention is conducted. If the intervention works in this context for these individuals, it will be a promising low-cost community-based intervention for people who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment.

Test of the Bifactor Model of Job-Related Affective Well-Being

The multidimensional measure of the job-related affective well-being developed by Warr (1990) is a frequently used tool estimating affect in the work context. Alternative factorial models of this measure were tested in previous studies. Recently a bifactor model has been proposed as alternative factorial structure recommended for multifaceted constructs. It allows capturing the global aspect of the construct along with the specificity of its subdimensions. We conducted two studies to test a bifactor model on Warr’s measure and to compare it to factor models proposed in earlier studies. This bifactor model identified one general factor in addition to four unique factors. Two studies were conducted among employees (Study 1; N = 869) and entrepreneurs (Study 2; N = 204). Results of both studies corroborate a four correlated factors model as superior to the bifactor model. The model with four unique but correlated factors representing anxiety, comfort, depression, and enthusiasm is a good representation of job-related affective well-being measured by Warr’s instrument, both in a sample of employees and entrepreneurs.

Sex, Gender Identity, and Perceived Employability Among Spanish Employed and Unemployed Youngsters

Young people find it difficult to access to the labor market, particularly in countries like Spain with a dramatically high rate of unemployment. A further problem is that this labor market is not gender-neutral. This has been demonstrated repeatedly in the literature, with women typically being at a disadvantage. This highlights the need to study issues related to employability from a gender perspective, beyond including sex as a mere control variable. This analysis is relevant given the gender biases in organizations and in society in general that hinder the advancement of gender equality in organizations. Accordingly, our aim is to study both sex (male vs. female) and four profiles of gender identity based on dimensions of masculinity and femininity (i.e., feminine, masculine, undifferentiated, and androgynous) in relation to perceived employability in an exploratory way in two samples of employed (N = 181) and unemployed (N = 246) Spanish youngsters (i.e., below 30). The results show different patterns for employed and unemployed youngsters regarding sex, gender identity and their interaction in relation to perceptions of being employable. Concerning sex, women seem more confident about their employment chances when unemployed. In contrast, men feel more confident about their employment chances within their organization than women when employed. Concerning gender identity, the androgynous gender profile in the employed sample (in both men and women) scored highest on perceived employability. Results of the sex–gender identity interaction show that being feminine associates with the highest level of perceived employability for an unemployed man and the lowest for an unemployed woman. Moreover, both unemployed men and women androgynous score the highest in perceiving employability (except feminine men). Our findings highlight that sex and gender identity do play a role in shaping employability perceptions of young men and women in different labor contexts (employment and unemployment). This reinforces the need of changes against discrimination at work and in job search from a feminist approach to arrive at a more equal society.