Hating your job 'as bad for health as being unemployed'
London, November 24 (ANI)
Having a job you hate is as bad for mental health as being unemployed, researchers have claimed.
According to Australian researchers, people with poor working conditions suffer just as much as those out of work, and they weren't just referring to a dusty factory or dimly lit office but psychological factors like a demanding job, nasty boss and poor job security.
The researchers, from the Australian National University, compared the mental health of British people who were unemployed with those in jobs of differing 'psychosocial quality'.
The study's author, associate professor Peter Butterworth, said that people unhappy in their jobs were just as likely to have mental health issues as those without a job at all.
"Our analysis clearly established that there was no difference in the rates of common mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression, between those who were unemployed and those who were in the poorest quality jobs," the Daily Mail quoted Butterworth as saying.
"Both of these groups of individuals were more likely to experience a common mental disorder than those who were in high quality work [i.e. a job they liked]," he said.
Speaking about his research into mental health, Professor Butterworth added that improving work conditions like reducing job demands and increasing job control, security, and employee's self-esteem would, in turn, boost their mental health.
"It would also reduce the burden of illness on public health systems," he said.
"This research adds to a growing body of research highlighting the need to address the psychosocial aspects of the work environment as part of national government plans to reduce mental illness in the community," Butterworth added.