Unemployment in Ireland: A Review of Psychological Research

In Western Europe, Ireland has emerged as one of the countries most severely affected by unemployment. In the United States and Great Britain, research has shown a significant correlation between higher unemployment rates and poorer psychological health. Joblessness is also associated with higher rates of psychiatric morbidity in Ireland. Working class populations suffer from longer periods of unemployment with more severe consequences for psychological health. Young Irish women are affected psychologically by unemployment. Some youth are particularily vulnerable to the powerful psychological consequences of unemployment. Anger and alienation can lead youth into drug and alcohol abuse, which increases the risk of crime involvement. Ireland’s high youth unemployment appears to have contributed to a spectacular increase in drug and crime problems. In Belfast, Northern Ireland, high unemployment adds to the frustrations embedded in the political conflict.