ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated a global economic recession resulting in widespread unemployment and worker furloughs. Using national survey data (n = 2,000), this study examines whether and how employment-based discrepancies in financial strains, anticipatory stressors, and personal coping resources contribute to elevated psychological distress among those who experienced involuntary job displacement due to COVID-19. Disaggregating displaced workers into those who were furloughed and those who lost their job due to the pandemic, I find that both groups report more depressive symptoms and anger than the stably employed and respondents whose unemployment is not COVID-related. Greater financial strains and smaller reserves of coping resources contribute in varying degrees to heightened levels of distress found among displaced workers, however, anticipatory stress about economic security is the predominant factor driving disparities in psychological distress. These findings, and the central role of anticipatory stressors in shaping employment-based differences in mental health during the pandemic, are discussed.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated a global economic recession resulting in widespread unemployment and worker furloughs. Using national survey data (n = 2,000), this study examines whether and how employment-based discrepancies in financial strains, anticipatory stressors, and personal coping resources contribute to elevated psychological distress among those who experienced involuntary job displacement due to COVID-19. Disaggregating displaced workers into those who were furloughed and those who lost their job due to the pandemic, I find that both groups report more depressive symptoms and anger than the stably employed and respondents whose unemployment is not COVID-related. Greater financial strains and smaller reserves of coping resources contribute in varying degrees to heightened levels of distress found among displaced workers, however, anticipatory stress about economic security is the predominant factor driving disparities in psychological distress. These findings, and the central role of anticipatory stressors in shaping employment-based differences in mental health during the pandemic, are discussed.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a bereavement crisis unparalleled in a generation, with devastating consequences for the mental health of those who lost a loved one to the virus. Using national survey data (n = 2,000) containing detailed information about people?s experiences of pandemic-related stressors, coping resources, and mental health, in this study we examine whether and how three psychosocial coping resources?mastery, self-esteem, and social support?moderate the association between COVID-19 bereavement and psychological distress. We find that coping resources have both expected and unanticipated effects on the relationship between bereavement and mental health. Consistent with the stress process model, higher levels of mastery uniformly reduce the damaging effects of bereavement on depressive symptoms and anger, whereas self-esteem mitigates the positive association between losing a close tie to the virus and reports of anger. Contrary to the stress-buffering hypothesis, however, higher levels of perceived support exacerbate the positive associations between bereavement and each indicator of psychological distress. Our findings suggest that the putatively advantageous aspects of social support may be compromised, or even reversed, in the context of constrained social engagement. We discuss the theoretical implications of these findings for sociological research on the stress process.
ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the death of over half a million Americans, leaving in its wake widespread grief and despair. Using national survey data (n â= â1998) and a treatment-weighting strategy, this study examines how COVID-19 bereavement associates with depressive symptoms and binge drinking. After adjustment for non-random exposure to COVID-19 bereavement, I find that respondents who have lost someone close to them to the virus report greater depressive symptomology and more frequent binge drinking. Among essential workers, the loss of a close tie to COVID-19 exacerbates these associations, with bereavement posing stronger effects for depressive symptoms and binge drinking for members of this group. The implications of these findings for the long-term mental health of the bereaved and those most vulnerable to the virus are discussed.