Coping with job loss: A cluster analysis of grief experiences and coping strategies among unemployed individuals

Introduction: The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between certain sociodemographic variables and the coping strategies used by people according to the intensity of grief they manifest after a job loss. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Unemployed referred by the Employment Guidance Centre of the Andalusian Public Employment Service in the city of Huelva participated. The sample consisted of 122 unemployed people aged between 22 and 52 years (M = 36.32, SD = 6.97), of which 44.3% were men and 55.7% women. The Texas Revised Inventory of Grief (TRIG) and the Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE-28) scale for coping strategies were administered. A two-phase cluster analysis was performed by placing the subjects into two groups, one involving prolonged grief experiences and the other involving less intense grief. Results: As in other studies, no differences were found with respect to age and sex regarding the intensity of grief. Significant differences were obtained with respect to the length of time in unemployment and the level of responsibility for family income. Discussion: The results obtained in the Coping Strategies scale (COPE-28) suggest an avoidant style in those people who experienced more intense grief. Unemployed people who had been unemployed for longer and who had had a job for the longest time belonged to the cluster with the highest intensity of grief.