Unemployment: Young People Without Work More Likely To Have Mental Health Problems

New findings published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry reveal that unemployed young people who are also not in school are more likely to experience mental health issues.

"Our findings indicate that while the struggle to find work appears to take its toll on the mental health of young people, this does not appear to be an issue of motivation. The majority of 18 year olds we spoke to were endeavoring to find jobs and committed to the idea of work, although they are perhaps hampered by a lack of skills that would serve them well in the job market," Terrie Moffitt, co-author of the study from King's College London, said in a statement.

In this recent study, researchers analyzed data from over 2,000 British young people transitioning from school to early adulthood at 18. Twelve percent of participants in the study were not in education, training or employment, while researchers assessed their commitment to findings a job, any link to substance abuse disorders and potential mental health issues.

Researchers found that close to 60 percent of young adults who were not in school or employed had experienced more than one mental health problem during childhood or adolescence when compared to 35 percent of young people who were in education, employment or training. Fourteen percent of those without a job and education had generalized anxiety disorder, compared to 6 percent of their counterparts.

A follow-up analysis also revealed pre-existing vulnerability to mental health problems, showing the impact on mental health remained statistically significant in most cases.

"Young people who are neither working nor studying are often assumed to be unmotivated or unwilling to work, yet our study suggests that they are just as motivated as their peers -- but many face psychological challenges that put them at a disadvantage when seeking employment," Louise Arseneault, co-author of the study, said in a statement.