Original Research Article
Year: 2020 | Month: September | Volume: 10 | Issue: 9 | Pages: 31-42
Long-Term and Discouraged Unemployment in Urban Centers: Investigating Quality of Life, Material Deprivation and Financial Support from the Family
Georgia Poulimenakou1, Markos Sarris2, Michael Kourakos3, Aspasia Goula4, Alexandra Mitsi1, Sotirios Soulis2
1Researcher, Health Economics, Health Management, Health Social Policy Research Laboratory, University of West Attica
2Professor, School of Management, Economics & Social Sciences, University of West Attica
3Assistant Professor, School of Health Sciences, University of Western Makedonia
4Assosiate Professor, School of Management, Economics & Social Sciences, University of West Attica
Corresponding Author: Georgia Poulimenakou
ABSTRACT
Aim: The investigation of the impact of long-term and discouraged unemployment on the quality of life of the unemployed in urban centers and the detection of the cause of material deprivation and possible financial support from the family.
Method: The present study was conducted using the random stratified sampling method. The study population consisted of 159 long-term and discouraged unemployed. The tools used were the SF-36 questionnaire for the investigation of the quality of life and the EU-SILC tool for the detection material deprivation.
Results: The lowest scores on quality of life were detected in the dimensions "emotional role" and "mental health" with an average score of 44.30% (SD = 43.94 and CI = 37.39-51.20) and 50.17% (SD = 24.35 and CI = 46.34-54.00) respectively.
The ANOVA variation analysis related the material deprivation to the dimensions of general health (p = 0.034) and mental health (p = 0.002) and estimated that it caused a decrease of 7,527 points and 13,066 points respectively.
Conclusions: Employment loss implies the occurrence of mental and social dysfunction, which often immobilizes the person so that he does not ask for a job. Material deprivation is the biggest aggravating factor in declining the quality of life. Financial support from the family drives long-term and discouraged unemployed away from the risk of material deprivation. However, due to the severe economic crisis, assistance is provided only to its new unemployed members and not, as in previous decades, to children who have started their own families.
It is considered necessary the reorganization of the social protection system and the formation of active integration programs by connecting the future needs of the market with the educational programs of the unemployed.
Key words: long-term unemployed, discouraged unemployed, quality of life, material deprivation, social protection