Unemployment, coping and psychological distress

This study addressed the role of coping style in anxiety and depression of unemployed people. Two-hundred thirty-three people checking in at unemployment services participated. They filled in Carver, Scheier and Weintraub's (1989) coping measure (COPE), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD), gave information as to age, duration of unemployment and their appraisal of their situation. Four secondary dimensions of COPE were used in data analyses. Multiple regression analyses were undertaken with anxiety/depression as dependent and the coping variables as independent variables, with background/appraisal variables entered first. Coping variables added to the prediction of anxiety and depression over and above background/appraisal variables. For women Focus on Emotion as well as Avoidance was related to higher anxiety/depression scores (p < 0.01), whereas Reappraisal was related to lower anxiety/depression (p < 0.05). For men only Avoidance was related to anxiety/depression (p < 0.01). More Avoidance co-occurred with higher levels of anxiety as well as depression. The results are discussed with respect to possible intervention.