“If recent trends of declining job satisfaction continue, understanding the cumulative effects of job satisfaction on health may become crucial for policymakers when considering all the potential costs of wage stagnation and eroding job security”, they concluded. The data came from a national USA longitudinal study that followed Americans. These participants then reported a variety of health measures after they turned 40.
Advertisement
The researchers found a correlation: those who were less happy with their jobs early in their careers were more likely to show mental health problems later on in life.
It was also said that people who weren’t satisfied jobs in their early career are later seen to be more depressed and anxious and also had more trouble sleeping.
The researchers found that physical health appeared to suffer among those who consistently expressed low satisfaction with work or whose satisfaction fell over time.
New research suggests that a lousy job in your 20s and 30s will catch up with your health much earlier than you may think, with the detrimental effects seeping in by your 40s. While job satisfaction had some impact on physical health, its effect was particularly strong for mental health.
‘The higher levels of mental health problems for those with low job satisfaction may be a precursor to future physical problems. Only a lucky 15 percent of people consistently enjoyed their jobs throughout the years.
Dirlam theorizes that workers’ low satisfaction reflects the depressing state of our labor market, or at least our perception of it: low wages, eroding job security, robots replacing us entirely.
Zheng said the results showed the importance that early jobs have on people’s lives.
The study tracked job satisfaction amongst 6,432 Americans aged 25-39; 45 percent characterized their job satisfaction as consistently low and 23 percent ranked it low near the beginning of their careers. Dirlam conducted the study with Hui Zheng, an associate professor of sociology.
When I asked Dirlam some questions about the study over email, he clarified that “even for the lowest job satisfaction group, on average, they are still somewhat satisfied with their job”.
The researchers looked at the health of those who were happiest with their jobs next to those who were miserable. However, they did not fair worse on depression or emotional problems.
One in three Canadians are classified as high risk for a mental health issue, with stress and depression as major concerns, according to a 2015 Ipsos poll. They were also more likely to be diagnosed with emotional problems.
Those who did not like their jobs and those whose job satisfaction was trending down reported poorer overall health and more problems like back pain and frequent colds compared to those who liked their jobs. But doctor-diagnosed health problems like diabetes and cancer stayed the same among the two groups.
Once the participants reached their 40s, mental health status was gauged in terms of depression, sleep trouble and anxiety.
“The recession nearly certainly increased job insecurity and dissatisfaction, and that could have resulted in more negative health effects”, he said.
The research team theorized that mental health difficulties could actually trigger more physical health complications as participants’ age.
Advertisement
The paper, “Job Satisfaction Developmental Trajectories and Health: A Life Course Perspective”, will be presented on Monday, Aug. 22, at 4:30 p.m. PDT in Seattle at the American Sociological Association’s 111th Annual Meeting.
