The Impact of Job Insecurity on Depressive Symptoms of Parents

The negative effects of unemployment can go beyond the person who is directly affected. In this issue of Perspectives Demogràfiques we examine the relationship between unemployment of adult children and their parents’ mental health. The results show that parents with an unemployed child or children present a higher average of depressive symptoms than their counterparts whose children are all employed. The magnitude of the effect varies among countries. Those that are more family centred with a less protective welfare state (in southern and eastern Europe) show the worst values. In Spain, the impact is similar for mothers and fathers, although this additional effect is notable for mothers since it implies their showing values that are higher than that at which the clinical manifestation of depression appears. The impact of unemployment of offspring is non-existent among parents with a higher level of education. Taken together, the results are an invitation to contemplate a multigenerational approach in the study of mental health in the elderly population.