Job loss leads to new health problems

As the world struggles with its worst economic crisis and more jobs are being shed by the day, a new study finds job loss causes health problems. According to the study published in Demography, job loss may trigger serious physical and physiological problems. Individuals who have lost their jobs are 83 percent more likely to develop new health problems. This is while individuals who lose their income as a result of job cuts are twice more likely to suffer from health problems. Compared to white-collar workers, blue-collar ones are at a doubled risk of facing physical and mental problems in the event of job loss; the stress and anxiety of sudden income loss is believed to be responsible for the greater health impact on these individuals. Such problems are also reported among those who were re-employed within a year and half of losing their first job. "They shouldn't have had the most severe experiences of unemployment and income loss, and still we see them having new health issues," stressed lead researcher Kate Strully, indicating that factors other than income loss play a critical role in causing such conditions. High blood pressure, arthritis and cardiovascular diseases were reported as the most common complaints among these individuals. Scientists concluded that the anxiety caused by income loss, job cuts and loss of medical insurances along with the higher obesity risk secondary to eating cheaper meals are responsible for the increase in health problems.