Agnieszka Kowalik, Beata Pawłowska, Aniela Płotka Neurotic Symptoms Displayed by Unemployed Unemployment as a social and economic phenomenon means that a number of people capable of working and ready to take up work cannot find employment [4]. Lack of jobs is one of many problems in the center of public interest. Not only unemployment has negative social effects but it is also an individual problem of the unemployed and his family [6]. The surprise at the fact of losing a job may initially make the unemployed feel free from all the inconveniences connected with the job. But this is only a transitory stage. Usually this freedom is substituted, especially when the financial resources are worn out and the period of unemployment is long, with the feeling of being dependant on others and helplessness. One experiences one’s marginality and lack of significance to the society. It is accompanied by fear for the future which the unemployed transfers to other spheres of life thus becoming less psychologically immune to stress and crises. In the initial phase these crises manifest themselves in strain, anxiety and the feeling of being lost. Lack of help and support from others in the process of finding solutions to the problems causes further deepening of fear and tension, brings about the feeling of helplessness, hopelessness and the sense of futility of all efforts. In the course of time what follows is a maximum concentration of energy and exertion when the unemployed is still trying to find a job. If the problem cannot be solved the unemployed accepts the situation with resignation. The final stage of the crisis is characterized by physical and psychological exhaustion, the unemployed is emotionally drained and experiences breakdown. According to Walczak [6], the most often symptoms reported by unemployed are: feeling of weariness and physical exhaustion (often inadequate to their activities), fear for the future, decrease of efficiency of thinking, apathy, depression, insomnia, headaches, feeling of weakness of unknown etiology. Klerman’s study [3] suggests that unemployment is the cause of stress bringing about decreasing self esteem, depression and alcoholism. One may also find Reszke’s study [5] interesting. In this work the author tried to answer, among others, the question what a typical unemployed is like. Most of the examined described negative moods of unemployed characterizing them as dispirited, depressed, without perspectives, crestfallen, sad, unwanted, embittered, resigned, helpless, and neurotic. Assuming that lack of employment has a certain impact on human psychic conditions, this article will try to answer the following question. What are the differences in the range of intensification of neurotic symptoms displayed by unemployed in comparison to people who work. The following hypothesis has been put forward in this article: the intensification of neurotic symptoms displayed by unemployed is sharper than that displayed by employed subjects. Subjects and methods In order to verify the above hypothesis a group of 59 unemployed (32 women and 27 men) and a group of 56 currently working persons (27 women and 29 men) were tested. All tested unemployed were registered in State Employment Agency in Zamość. The average age of the subjects (both unemployed and working) was 36. Among the unemployed 32% had primary education, 53% – secondary education and 15% – higher education. 76% of the unemployed remained without a job for 1 to 3 years, 17% from 4 to 7 years and 7% were unemployed from 8 to 10 years. 25% of the unemployed were single, 61% married and 14% were divorced or separated. Both groups were tested with the Environmental Survey (constructed by Agnieszka Kowalik) and the Symptomatic Questionnaire “S II” of Neurotic Disorders of Aleksandrowicz [1]. Aleksandrowicz’s Questionnaire comprises of 10 scales including the following disorders: anxiety, somatic, hypochondriac disorders, disorders of thinking, weariness syndrome, sleep disorders, sexual dysfunctions, emotional liability and distortions of social relations. The results received in the test taken by unemployed and working subjects in the scales of Symptomatic Questionnaire were compared by means of the t-Student test, allowing for sex difference. Results Table I presents average results of the test taken by the unemployed and working subjects in the scales of  Symptomatic Questionnaire “S II”. Table I. Comparison of average results of unemployed (N=59) and working (N=56) subjects Neurotic symptoms Unemployed Working t P average deviation average deviation Anxiety disorders 3,78 1,88 2,27 1,23 5,08 0,0001 Somatic disorders 4,61 2,06 2,71 1,45 5,68 0,0001 Hypochondriac disorders 4,69 1,39 3,63 0,95 4,79 0,0001 Thinking disorders 3,56 2,07 2,29 1,19 4,01 0,0001 Weariness syndrome 4,02 1,81 2,77 1,39 4,13 0,0001 Dystymia 3,92 1,89 2,18 1,29 5,72 0,0001 Sleep disorders 4,95 1,73 3,82 1,29 3,99 0,0001 Sexual dysfunctions 5,00 1,16 4.55 0,87 2,32 0,02 Emotional liability 4,53 1,85 2,80 1,27 5,78 0,0001 Distortions of social relations 4,53 1,86 3,18 1,32 4,45 0,0001   In comparison to working people, the unemployed display greater intensification of disorders such as emotional liability, dystymia, somatic disorders, anxiety disorders, hypochondriac disorders, disorders of social relations and sexual dysfunctions. The most visible differences in the statistics between the unemployed and working subjects are those in the following scales: emotional liability, dystymia, somatic and anxiety disorders. These results show that the unemployed display disturbed behavior such as outbursts of anger, rebellion, lack of  self-reliance, the feeling of sadness, guilt, fear, anxiety and uncertainty when compared with the working subjects. The following table shows the results of the scales of the Symptomatic Questionnaire taken by unemployed and working men. Table II. Comparison of average results of unemployed men (N=27) and working men (N=29) Neurotic symptoms Unemployed Working t P average deviation average deviation Anxiety disorders 3,44 1,69 2,03 0,98 3,84 0,0001 Somatic disorders 3,78 1,89 2,55 1,35 2,80 0,007 Hypochondriac disorders 4,33 1,44 3,66 0,97 2,07 0,04 Thinking disorders 3,19 1,86 2,07 1,13 2,73 0,008 Weariness syndrom 3,56 1,72 2,55 1,30 2,47 0,02 Dystymia 3,81 1,86 2,00 1,16 4,40 0,0001 Sleep disorders 4,48 1,74 3,76 1,24 1,79 – Sexual dysfunctions 4,59 0,89 4,48 0,83 0,47 – Emotional liability 4,30 1,90 2,97 1,02 3,30 0,002 Distortions of social relations 4,15 1,77 2,90 1,14 3,16 0,003 Unemployed men are characterized by significantly higher intensification of symptoms such as dystymia, anxiety disorders, emotional liability, distortions in social relations, somatic disorders, disorders of thinking, weariness syndrome, and hypochondriac disorders. The most significant statistic difference between the unemployed and working men concerns the symptoms of dystymia and anxiety disorders. These results show that the unemployed men more often than working men display the feelings of sadness, anxiety, fear and uncertainty. Table III compares the results of the scales of Aleksandrowicz’s Questionnaire taken by unemployed and working women. Table III. Comparison of average results of unemployed women (N= 32) and working women (N=27) Neurotic symptoms Unemployed Working t P average deviation average deviation Anxiety disorders 4,06 2,00 2,52 1,42 3,35 0,001 Somatic disorders 5,31 1,96 2,89 1,55 5,19 0,0001 Hypochondriac disorders 5,00 1,30 3,59 0,93 4,71 0,0001 Thinking disorders 3,88 2,21 2,52 1,22 2,84 0,006 Weariness syndrome 4,41 1,83 3,00 1,47 3,21 0,002 Dystymia 4,00 1,93 2,37 1,42 3,62 0,001 Sleep disorders 5,34 1,64 3,89 1,28 3,74 0,0001 Sexual dysfunctions 5,34 1,26 4,63 0,93 2,44 0,02 Emotional liability 4,72 1,82 2,63 1,50 4,76 0,0001 Distortions of social relations 4,84 1,90 3,48 1,45 3,04 0,004   Unemployed women are characterized by greater intensification of somatic disorders, emotional lability, hypochondriac, sleep and anxiety disorders, weariness syndrome and distortions in social relations, thinking disorders and sexual dysfunctions. The most visible statistic differences in the intensification of neurotic symptoms between the unemployed and working women allow for somatic disorders, emotional liability and hypochondriac disorders. Theses results show that the unemployed women more often than the working ones complain about somatic afflictions, experience anger, frustration, and anxiety for their health. On the basis of the results the fooling conclusions have been put forward: Conclusions 1.     The unemployed are characterized by significantly greater intensification of neurotic symptoms than working people. 2.     Unemployed men show significantly greater intensification of symptoms such as dystymia, anxiety disorders than working men. 3.     Unemployed women display significantly greater intensification of symptoms such as somatic and hypochondriac disorders than working women. Discussion of the results The study conducted allowed to verify the hypothesis put forward in the beginning and showed that the unemployed display fundamentally sharper intensification of all neurotic symptoms included in Aleksandrowicz’s Questionnaire in comparison to employed people. The division of the subjects according to gender revealed that unemployed men react with the greatest intensification of sadness, feeling of guilt, incompetence, anxiety and fear for the future when compared to working men. Unemployed women, on the other hand, react with the greatest intensification of neurotic symptoms such as complaints about many somatic afflictions, fear for their health, anger, irritability and frustration. The results of the test presented in this article precisely correspond with the opinion of the authors, who see a close relation between occupational destabilization and the feelings of helplessness, hopelessness and appearance of various somatic afflictions, intensification of anxiety and depression [2,6]. Payn and Hartley [6] arrived in their studies at the conclusion that the symptoms of depression are displayed by unemployed less often than the symptoms of anxiety. Kasl [6] showed that unemployed are more likely to experience various psychosomatic afflictions. The results received by the authors of this article show that unemployed men react with greater intensification of the symptoms of depression than of anxiety, while somatic disorders accompanied by the anxiety for their health is more characteristic for unemployed women. References [1] Aleksandrowicz K. i wsp.: Kwestionariusze Objawowe „S” i „O” – narzędzia służące do diagnozy i opisu zaburzeń nerwicowych, „Psychoterapia”, 1981,37, 11–23. – [2] Bańka A.: Bezrobo-cie. Podręcznik pomocy psychologicznej, Print-B, Poznań 1992. – [3] Klerman G.L.: Stress ist De-finition, its Relationship to Work, and How do we Cope with it. Work and Healt Insearable in the 80, Conference Procceding, January 1981, s. 24. – [4] Męcina J.P.: Aktywne instrumenty przeciwdziała-nia bezrobociu stosowane przez Rejonowy Urząd Pracy w Warszawie w latach 1990–1992, „Rynek Pracy”, 1993 8/22, 10–27. – [5] Reszke I.: Bezrobocie i bezrobotni w opinii mieszkańców Łodzi i Katowic, [w:] Syndrom bezrobocia, PAN, pod red. R. Borowicz i K. Łapińskiej-Tyszki, Warszawa 1993, 96–107. – [6] Walczak R.: Obraz siebie u kobiet długotrwale bezrobotnych, KUL, Lublin 2000.

To cite this article: Kowalik A., Pawłowska B., Płotka A., Neurotic symptoms displayed by unemployed, [in:] Niebrój L., Kosińska M., Unemployment and Health Care, Katowice: Wyd. SAM 2004, p. 43-47