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Job displacement and social safety net on depressive symptoms in individuals aged 45 years or above: findings from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 January 2017

WOORIM KIM ,
YOUNG CHOI ,
TAE-HOON LEE ,
SUK-YONG JANG ,
KYU-TAE HAN  and
EUN-CHEOL PARK
WOORIM KIM
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
YOUNG CHOI
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
TAE-HOON LEE
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
SUK-YONG JANG
Affiliation:
Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
KYU-TAE HAN
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
EUN-CHEOL PARK*
Affiliation:
Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
*
Address for correspondence: Eun-Cheol Park, Department of Preventive Medicine and Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-752, Republic of Korea E-mail: ECPARK@yuhs.ac
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Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the unemployment experience and depressive symptoms among mid-aged (ages 45–59) and elderly (ages 60 or above) persons and to examine further the effects of unemployment insurance, industrial accident compensation insurance (IACI) and national pension on the stated relationship. Data were used from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA) between 2006 and 2012. A total of 1,536 individuals employed at the 2006 baseline were followed. The association between employment status change during 2006 to 2008, 2008 to 2010 or 2010 to 2012 and depressive symptoms in years 2008, 2010 or 2012 were analysed using a generalised estimating equation model. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 10) scale. The results showed that the ‘employed to unemployed’ group had statistically significant increases in depression scores in the mid-aged (β = 0.4884, p = 0.0038) and elderly (β = 0.8275, p ⩽ 0.0001) categories, compared to the ‘employed to employed’ group. Findings were maintained in groups without a social safety net. Contrastingly, the ‘employed to unemployed’ groups with unemployment insurance and IACI did not show statistically significant increases in depression scores. The ‘employed to unemployed’ category of individuals enrolled in the national pension system exhibited a lower increase of depression. Therefore, an enhanced focus on the mental health of unemployed individuals is required, in addition to the provision of a reliable social safety net.

Keywords

job displacementunemploymentdepressionlate-life depressionsocial safety netageing society
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 38 , Issue 6 , June 2018 , pp. 1199 - 1222
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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