Adapting to the unemployed role: a longitudinal investigation

A sample of unemployed British men was interviewed for a third time after an average of 25 months continuous unemployment. As predicted, it was found that mental health, indexed in terms of affective well-being, had improved slightly since the previous interview. Adaptation of this kind was greater for men who had previously reported lower commitment to having a job and greater contact outside their immediate family, and also for those at the extremes of the age range. Measured availability of money and quality of social relationships were not related to adaptation. Changes in aspiration, autonomy and competence were considered likely to underpin the improvement in well-being. The need to study these additional components of mental health was emphasized, in order to determine when improvements in reported well-being should be considered 'healthy' or 'unhealthy'.