Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Impact of the JOBS Intervention on Unemployed Workers Varying in Risk for Depression

  • Chapter
A Quarter Century of Community Psychology

Abstract

Reports the results of the JOBS II randomized field experiment that included a sample of 1,801 recent job losers, 671 of which participated in a modified version of the JOBS I intervention for unemployed workers (Caplan, Vinokur, Price, & van Ryn, 1989). The intervention focused on enhancing the sense of mastery through the acquisition of job-search and problem-solving skills, and on inoculation against setbacks. JOBS II was intended to prevent poor mental health and to promote high quality reemployment. The study tested whether the efficacy of the intervention could be increased by screening and oversampling respondents who were at higher risk for a significant increase in depressive symptoms. Results demonstrated that the intervention primarily benefited the reemployment and mental health outcomes of the high-risk respondents. This suggests the feasibility of enhancing the efficacy of this preventive intervention by targeting it for high-risk unemployed workers who could be identified prospectively.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavior change. Psychological Review, 84, 191–215.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barling, J. (1990). Employment, stress and family functioning. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bentler, P. M. (1989). EOS Structural Equation Program Manual. Los Angeles: BMDP Statistical Software.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bentler, P. M. & Bonnett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88, 588–606.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blinder, A. S. (1987). Hard heads and soft hearts: Tough minded economics for a just society. Reading MA: Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bloom, H. S. (1984). Accounting for no-shows in experimental evaluation designs. Evaluation Review, 8, 225–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, C. H. (1991). Comparison of mediational selected strategies and sequential designs for preventive trials: Comments on a proposal by Pillow et al. American Journal of Community Psychology, 19, 837–846.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Caplan, R. D. Abbey, A., Abramis, D. J., Andrews, F. M., Conway, T. L., & French, J. R. P. (1984). Tranquilizer use and well-being: A longitudinal study of social and psychological effects (Technical Report Series). Ann Arbor: University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Caplan, R. D., Vinokur, A. D., Price, R. H., & van Ryn, M. (1989). Job seeking, reemployment, and mental health: A randomized field experiment in coping with job loss. Journal of Applied Psychology, 74, 759–769.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Catalano, R. (1991). The health effects of economic insecurity. American Journal of Public Health, 81, 1148–1152.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Catalano, R. & Dooley, D. (1977). Economic predictor of depressed mood and stressful life events in a metropolitan community. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 18, 292–307.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chamberlain, N. W., Cullen, D. E., & Lewin, D. (1980). The labor sector (3rd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cobb, S. & Kasl, S. V. (1977). Termination: The consequences of job loss (NIOSH Research Report, DHEW Publication No. 77–224). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. & Cohen, P. (1983). Applied multiple regression/correlational analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cook,T. D. & Campbell, D.T. (1979). Quasi-experimentation: Design & analysis issues for field settings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curran, J. (1992). JOBS: A manual for teaching people successful job search strategies. Ann Arbor: Michigan Prevention Research Center, Institute for Social Research.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, C. & Woodbury, S. A. (1993). The displacement effect of reemployment bonus programs. Journal of Labor Economics, 11, 575–605.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Derogatis, L. R., Lipman, R. S., Rickles, K., Uhlenhuth, E. H., & Covi, L., (1974). The Hopkins Symptom Checklist (HSCL). In P. Pichot (Ed.), Psychological measurements in psychopharmacology: Modem problems in pharmacopsychiatry (Vol. 7, pp. 79–110). New York: Karger, Basel.

    Google Scholar 

  • Derogatis, L. R. & Melisaratos, N. (1983). The brief symptom inventory: An introductory report. Psychological Medicine, 13, 595–605.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dew, M. A., Bromet, E. X, & Schulberg, H. C. (1987). A comparative analysis of two community stressors’ long term, mental health effects. American Journal of Community Psychology, 15, 167–184.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eden, D. & Aviram, A. (1993). Self-efficacy training to speed reemployment: Helping people to help themselves. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 352–360.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Emery, R. E. (1991). Mediational screening in theory and in practice. American Journal of Community Psychology, 19, 853–857.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fryer, D. & Payne, R. (1986). Being unemployed: A review of the literature on the psychological experience of unemployment. International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology (Chap. 8, pp. 235–278).

    Google Scholar 

  • Galassi, J. P., Delo, J. S., Galassi, M. D., & Bastien, S. (1974). The college self-expression scale: A measure of assertiveness. Behavior Therapy, 5; 165–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gurin, P., Gurin, G, & Morrison, B. M. (1978). Personal and ideological aspects of internal and external control. Social Psychology, 41, 275–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, V. L., Hoffman, W. S., Broman, C. L., & Rauma, D. (1993). Unemployment, distress, and coping: A panel study of autoworkers. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 234–247.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Heaney, C. A. (1991). Enhancing social support at the workplace: Assessing the effects of the caregiver support program. Health Education Quarterly, 18, 477–494.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, W. B., Collins, L. M., Malotte, C. K., Johnson, C. A., & Fielding, J. E. (1985). Attrition in prevention research. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 8, 261–275.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hoelter, J. W. (1983). The analysis of covariance structures: Goodness-of-fit indices. Sociological Methods and Research, 11, 325–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, W. H. & Russell, D. (1982). The social reticence scale: An objective instrument to measure shyness. Journal of Personality Assessment, 46, 629–631.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Justice, B. & Duncan, D. F. (1977). Child abuse as a work-related problem. Corrective and Social Psychiatry, and Journal of Behavior Technology. Methods and Therapy, 23, 53–55.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C, Turner, J. B., & House, J. S. (1987). Intervening processes in the relationship between unemployment and health, Psychological Medicine, 17, 949–961.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C, Turner, J. B., & House, J. S. (1988). The effects of unemployment on health in a community survey: Main, modifying, and mediating effects. Journal of Social Issues, 44, 69–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler, R. C, Turner, J. B., & House, J. S. (1989). Unemployment, reemployment, and emotional functioning in a community sample. American Sociological Review, 54, 648–657.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liem, R. & Liem, J. H. (1988). The psychological effects of unemployment on workers and their families. Journal of Social Issues, 44, 87–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lykken, D. T. (1968). Statistical significance in psychological research. Psychological Bulletin, 70, 151–159.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marshall, G. N. & Lang, E. L. (1990). Optimism, self-mastery, and symptoms of depression in women professionals. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 132–139.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neter, J. & Wasserman, W. (1974). Applied linear statistical models: Regression, analysis of variance, and experimental designs. Homewood, IL: R. D. Irwin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometric theory. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearlin, L. I. & Schooler, C (1978). The structure of coping. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 19, 2–21.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pearlin, L. I., Menaghan, E. G., Lieberman, M. A., & Mullen, J. T. (1981). The stress process. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 22, 337–356.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Penkower, L., Bromet, E., & Dew, M. (1988). Husbands’ layoff and wives’ mental health: a prospective analysis. Archive of General Psychiatry, 45, 994–1000.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pillow, D. R., Sandler, I. N, Braver, S. L., Wolchik, S. A., & Gersten, J. C. (1991). Theory-based screening for prevention: Focusing on mediating processes in children of divorce. American Journal of Community Psychology, 19, 809–836.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Price, R. H., van Ryn, M., & Vinokur, A. D. (1992). Impact of preventive job search intervention on the likelihood of depression among the unemployed. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, 158–167.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Price, R. H. & Vinokur, A. D. (1995). Michigan JOBS Program: Supporting career transitions in a time of organizational downsizing. In M. London (Ed.). Employee development and job creation: Human resource strategies for organizational growth (pp. 191–209). Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rathus, S. A. (1973). A 30-item schedule for assessing assertive behavior. Behavior Therapy, 4, 398–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reich, R. B. (1991). The work of nations: Preparing ourselves for 21st century capitalism (1st ed.). New York: A. A. Knopf.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reid, J. B. (1991). Mediational screening as a model for prevention research. American Journal of Community Psychology, 19, 867–872.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. (1965). Society and the adolescent self-image. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80 (Whole No. 609).

    Google Scholar 

  • Steinberg, L, Catalano, R., & Dooley, D. (1981). Economic antecedents of child abuse and neglect. Child Development, 52, 975–985.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Umberson, D., Wortman, C. B., & Kessler, R. C. (1992). Widowhood and depression: Explaining long-term gender difference in vulnerability. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 33, 10–24.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (1988, January). Employment and Earning (Vol. 35). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (1992, January). Employment and Earning (Vol. 39). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Ryn, M. & Vinokur, A. D. (1992). How did it work? An examination of the mechanisms through which a community intervention influenced job-search behavior among an unemployed sample. American Journal of Community Psychology, 20, 577–599.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vinokur, A. & Caplan, R. D. (1987). Attitudes and social support: Determinants of job-seeking behavior and well-being among the unemployed. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 17, 1007–1024.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vinokur, A., Caplan, R. D., & Williams, C. C. (1987). Effects of recent and past stress on mental health: Coping with unemployment among Vietnam veterans and non-veterans. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 17, 708–728.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vinokur, A. D., Price, R. H., & Caplan, R. D. (1991). From field experiments to program implementation: Assessing the potential outcomes of an experimental intervention program for unemployed persons. American Journal of Community Psychology, 19, 543–562.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vinokur, A. D., van Ryn, M., Gramlich, E. M., & Price, R. H. (1991). Long-term follow-up and benefit-cost analysis of the Jobs Project: A preventive intervention for the unemployed. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76, 213–219.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Warr, P. B. (1983). Job loss, unemployment and psychological well-being. In V. Allen & E. van de Vliert (Eds.), Role transitions. New York: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, R. W. (1959). Motivation reconsidered: The concept of competence. Psychological Review, 66, 291–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yeaton, W. H. & Sechrest, L. (1981). Critical dimensions in the choice and maintenance of successful treatments: Strength, integrity, and effectiveness. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 49, 156–157.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors
  1. Amiram D. Vinokur
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Richard H. Price
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yaacov Schul
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Graduate Center of the City, University of New York, New York, New York, USA

    Tracey A. Revenson (Senior Editor) & David Livert (Senior Editor) & 

  2. Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA

    Anthony R. D’Augelli

  3. University of California, Riverside, California, USA

    Sabine E. French

  4. New York University, New York, New York, USA

    Diane L. Hughes , Edward Seidman , Marybeth Shinn  & Hirokazu Yoshikawa , ,  & 

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2002 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Vinokur, A.D., Price, R.H., Schul, Y. (2002). Impact of the JOBS Intervention on Unemployed Workers Varying in Risk for Depression. In: Revenson, T.A., et al. A Quarter Century of Community Psychology. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8646-7_22

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-8646-7_22

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-306-46730-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-8646-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation