A Job Today Helps Keep the Doctor Away

(PhysOrg.com) -- Being without a job costs your health as well as your hip pocket.

This is the finding of a study published in the February issue of Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

The study has found that 18-25 year olds who didn’t have jobs were affected mentally and physically, especially when most other people were employed.

This created a ‘vicious cycle’, according to lead author Justin Scanlan, from the University of Sydney.

“People who are psychologically unwell find it more difficult to obtain employment even in a very strong labour market,” Mr Scanlan said.

“Unemployment may exacerbate the risk of developing a mental illness, which is often highest during early adult years.

“Previous research has shown that individuals who have good time structure and who engage in purposeful activity are healthier than those who do not.”

“Public health efforts should focus on improving the health of young unemployed people, both to minimise the individual impact of unemployment and to enhance the ability of these individuals to more fully participate in and contribute to Australian society as a whole.”

More information: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health (Vol. 33, Issue 1). www3.interscience.wiley.com/jo … l/122195899/abstract

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