Getting a Job, Again: New Evidence against Subjective Well-Being Scarring

Social Forces ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamkinat Rauf
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Employment Transitions ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Temporal Relationships ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Unemployment Spells

Abstract Previous research finds that unemployment leaves permanent “scars” on subjective well-being (SWB) that remain even after reemployment. However, this research systematically overweighs long-term unemployment, inaccurately measures employment transitions, often does not track individuals long enough to substantiate scarring, and does not always account for age-related changes in well-being. This paper uses event history calendars from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to track complete monthly employment histories of prime working age Americans over a 17-year period, and accounts for the temporal relationships between SWB, age, and employment transitions using a novel fixed-effects formulation. The results suggest that there is some variation in patterns of recovery by employment stability after job loss, but no significant differences were observed by the duration of unemployment spells. Within 2 years of reemployment, average SWB levels reverted toward baseline trajectories across all groups, showing no evidence of scarring. This study brings unemployment literature into better alignment with research on resilience and adaptation. The findings also highlight some limitations of the construct of SWB for assessing the long-term costs of unemployment.

scholarly journals Subjective Well-Being Scarring through Unemployment: New Methods, New Results?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Eberl ◽  
Matthias Collischon ◽  
Tobias Wolbring
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Short And Long Term ◽  
Unemployment Spells ◽  
Scarring Effects

Scarring effects of unemployment on subjective well-being (SWB), i.e., negative effects that remain even after workers reenter employment, are well documented in the literature. Nevertheless, the theoretical mechanisms by which unemployment leads to long-lasting negative consequences for SWB are still under debate. Thus, we theorize that unemployment can have an enduring impact mainly through (i) the experience of unemployment as an incisive life event that, for example, affects health and (ii) unemployment as a driver of future unemployment. Using advanced longitudinal modeling that controls for group-specific trends, we estimate SWB scarring through unemployment using German panel data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). Our results consistently show a large negative effect of unemployment on SWB as well as significant lasting scarring effects (for both men and women as well as for short- and long-term unemployment spells). Further analyses reveal that repeated periods of unemployment drive these effects, implying that there are hardly any adaptations to unemployment that buffer its effect on SWB. We conclude that scarring effects through unemployment mainly work through unemployment increasing the probability of future unemployment. Regarding policy implications, our findings suggest that preventing unemployment, regardless of its duration, is beneficial for individual well-being.

scholarly journals Measuring Experiential Well-Being Among Older Adults

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard E. Lucas ◽  
Vicki A. Freedman ◽  
Deborah Carr
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Underlying Structure ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Income Dynamics ◽  
Respondent Burden ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Time Diaries

Experienced well-being measures tap a distinct form of subjective well-being (SWB) and have different age-related properties than the more widely studied evaluations of life based on satisfaction. Unlike evaluations of the quality of life as a whole, experiential measures capture affective reactions soon after they occur. Recent advances in measurement have allowed for the inclusion of such experiential measures even in large-scale studies. However, respondent burden remains a concern; hence, surveys have also employed shorter experiential modules. The psychometric properties of these brief measures are not well understood. We examine the psychometric characteristics, including the factor structure and correlations with theoretically relevant criteria, of experienced wellbeing measures included in two supplements to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). The first supplement included a detailed time diary whereas the second included a brief review of the prior day. Results show that for the detailed time diaries a single index of affective experience provides a useful summary of the associations among individual affect items, both within and between participants. For the abbreviated method, two or more subscales better describe the underlying structure.

Intraindividual Variability and Stability of Affect and Well-Being

GeroPsych ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Röcke ◽  
Annette Brose
Keyword(s):  
Age Differences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Emotional Experiences ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Regulatory Processes ◽  
Functional Implications ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Underlying Processes

Whereas subjective well-being remains relatively stable across adulthood, emotional experiences show remarkable short-term variability, with younger and older adults differing in both amount and correlates. Repeatedly assessed affect data captures both the dynamics and stability as well as stabilization that may indicate emotion-regulatory processes. The article reviews (1) research approaches to intraindividual affect variability, (2) functional implications of affect variability, and (3) age differences in affect variability. Based on this review, we discuss how the broader literature on emotional aging can be better integrated with theories and concepts of intraindividual affect variability by using appropriate methodological approaches. Finally, we show how a better understanding of affect variability and its underlying processes could contribute to the long-term stabilization of well-being in old age.

Changes in Family Roles and Subjective Well-Being among Japanese Adults

2021 ◽  
pp. 0192513X2199413
Author(s):  
Yuko Hara
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Transition To Parenthood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Family Roles ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Self Rated Health ◽  
Japanese Adults ◽  
Effect Theory ◽  
And Gender

Research in Western countries has demonstrated that marriage is associated with improved well-being, and parenthood with decreased well-being, for both men and women. However, less is known about whether the associations are universal for both genders across countries. Using nine waves of panel data and fixed effects models, this study examines the relationship between changes in family roles and subjective well-being of men and women in the highly gendered social context of Japan. Well-being was assessed across two domains: self-rated health and mental health. The results broadly support the protective effect theory, which posits that marriage itself has a positive effect on well-being; however, no association was observed between becoming a wife and self-rated health. Contrary to what previous research predicts, only men’s self-rated health negatively responds to transition to parenthood. These findings highlight the importance of country context and gender differences in the significance of family obligations.

Quality of life in long-term childhood cancer survivors and the relation of late effects and subjective well-being

2004 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigrid Pemberger ◽  
Reinhold Jagsch ◽  
Eva Frey ◽  
Rosemarie Felder-Puig ◽  
Helmut Gadner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Childhood Cancer ◽  
Late Effects ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Childhood Cancer Survivors ◽  
Subjective Well Being

The Long-Term Consequences of Relationship Formation for Subjective Well-Being

2009 ◽  
Vol 71 (5) ◽  
pp. 1254-1270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith P. M. Soons ◽  
Aart C. Liefbroer ◽  
Matthijs Kalmijn
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Relationship Formation ◽  
Long Term Consequences

scholarly journals Does the Credit Cycle Have an Impact on Happiness?

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tinghui Li ◽  
Junhao Zhong ◽  
Mark Xu
Keyword(s):  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Gdp Per Capita ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Fixed Effects Model ◽  
Credit Expansion ◽  
Transmission Channels ◽  
Credit Cycle ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Relationship

The 2008 international financial crisis triggered a heated discussion of the relationship between public health and the economic environment. We test the relationship between the credit cycle and happiness using the fixed effects model and explore the transmission channels between them by adding the moderating effect. The results show the following empirical regularities. First, the credit cycle has a negative correlation with happiness. This means that credit growth will reduce the overall happiness score in a country/region. Second, the transmission channels between the credit cycle and happiness are different during credit expansion and recession. Life expectancy and generosity can moderate the relationship between the credit cycle and happiness only during credit expansion. GDP per capita can moderate this relationship only during credit recession. Social support, freedom, and positive affect can moderate this relationship throughout the credit cycle. Third, the total impact of the credit cycle on happiness will become positive by the changes in the moderating effects. In general, we can improve subjective well-being if one of the following five conditions holds: (1) with the adequate support from the family and society, (2) with enough freedom, (3) with social generosity, (4) with a positive and optimistic outlook, and (5) with a high level of GDP per capita.

scholarly journals If, Why, and When Subjective Well-Being Influences Health, and Future Needed Research

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Francis Diener
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Research Issues ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Open Question ◽  
Do So

We review evidence on whether subjective well-being (SWB) can influence health, why it might do so, and what we know about the conditions where this is more or less likely to occur. This review also explores how various methodological approaches inform the study of the connections between subjective well-being and health and longevity outcomes. Our review of this growing literature indicates areas where data are substantial and where much more research is needed. We conclude that SWB can sometimes influence health, and review a number of reasons why it does so. A key open question is when it does and does not do so – in terms of populations likely to be affected, types of SWB that are most influential (including which might be harmful), and types of health and illnesses that are most likely to be affected. We also describe additional types of research that are now much needed in this burgeoning area of interest, for example, cross-cultural studies, animal research, and experimental interventions designed to raise long-term SWB and assess the effects on physical health. This research area is characterized both by potentially extremely important findings, and also by pivotal research issues and questions.

Subjective perceptions of age-related gains buffer negative associations of perceived age-related losses with health, well-being, and engagement

2021 ◽  
pp. 016502542110390
Author(s):  
Tim D. Windsor ◽  
Mandy J. Abbott ◽  
Monica Cations ◽  
Alexis J. Howard ◽  
Bethany Wilton-Harding
Keyword(s):  
Physical Functioning ◽  
Leisure Activities ◽  
Developmental Outcomes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Crowd Sourcing ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Sense Of Purpose ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Gains And Losses

People reflect on their own aging, and this subjective awareness has an influence on developmental outcomes. Scholars have recently operationalized subjective aging in terms of awareness of age-related change (AARC), which captures awareness of both gains and losses. We examined associations of AARC-gains and AARC-losses with physical functioning, subjective well-being, and engagement with life (enjoyable activities and sense of purpose). Importantly, we extended previous research by not only assessing main effects of gains and losses but also testing their interaction. We hypothesized that awareness of losses would be more weakly negatively associated with health and well-being among those who possessed higher awareness of gains. A total of 399 older participants aged 65 to 91 (235 women and 164 men) were recruited via Prime Panels crowd-sourcing platform to complete an online questionnaire. Greater AARC-losses was associated with poorer health, lower subjective well-being, and lower sense of purpose. AARC-gains was associated with better outcomes in general, and moderated associations of AARC-losses with physical functioning, subjective well-being, and sense of purpose (but not engagement in leisure activities). Consistent with predictions, moderation effects showed that negative associations of AARC-losses with the outcomes were weaker among those who reported higher AARC-gains. Results provided some support for a role of AARC-gains in buffering negative effects of AARC-losses on developmental outcomes.

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