Adaptation; affective experience; South Africa; stress; unemployment; Business, Management and Accounting (all); Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
Abstract :
[en] This study investigates affective experience as a function of unemployment duration in South Africa. The study contrasts two models. The stress reaction model proposes a linear decrease of affective experience as unemployment prolongs. The adaptation model assumes a curvilinear pattern between affective experience and unemployment duration. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with contrast revealed no differences in affective experience between short-term (N = 101), long-term (N = 152) and very long-term (N = 119) unemployed. The findings do not favour either of the models, yet indicate that unemployment is a severe stressor regardless of its duration. These results underline the need for structural changes (e.g. delivering unemployment benefits, stimulating job creation) in order to overcome the negative affective experiences of the South African unemployed.
Research Center/Unit :
LENTIC - Laboratoire d'Études sur les Nouvelles Formes de Travail, l'Innovation et le Changement - ULiège
Disciplines :
Human resources management Social, industrial & organizational psychology
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