Coping with Unemployed Poverty: A Qualitative Study Debbie-Ann Chambers Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy under the Executive Committee of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY 2012 © 2012 Debbie-Ann Chambers All rights reserved ABSTRACT Coping with Unemployed Poverty; A Qualitative Study Debbie-Ann Chambers A century of psychological research exists on the impact of unemployment on individuals. However, missing from the literature is a consideration of the social context of unemployed persons and the ways in which persons cope with their unemployment. This study sought to examine the experiences of unemployed persons in poverty, poverty being a social context frequently ignored in psychological literature. In addition, the study aimed to explore the psychological impact of these experiences, the strategies used by the poor to cope, and the appraised effectiveness of coping strategies. Participants were 21 unemployed adults living in poverty. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) methodology. Fifteen domains emerged from the CQR analysis to show that unemployed poverty is an experience of widespread disruption to daily, social, and family life. Financial hardship and social isolation were commonplace and financial hardship was expressed to be the most stressful of experiences. Participants associated a range of emotions with their unemployment including sadness, hopelessness, anger, and a sense of low self-regard. However, a variety of emotion-focused, problem-focused, and religious coping strategies were utilized to cope. Religious coping and reliance on community resources that were empowering were reported to be the most effective coping strategies. Secondary analysis was conducted by examining the frequencies of categories by gender. Women more frequently reported financial hardship and were more socially isolated than men. Additionally, women more frequently reported sadness and hopelessness. The results are discussed with consideration to socio-political context of poverty and recommendations made for clinical practice and future research. Keywords: unemployment, poverty, coping TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS……………………………………………………………………..i LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………………...vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS…………………………………………………………………...vii DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………………….ix CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………….1 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE…………………………………………………………5 Unemployment………………………………………………………………...5 The definition of unemployment………………………………………5 The history of unemployment…………………………………………7 Unemployment and psychological well-being………………………...8 Theories of unemployment…………………………………………...14 Limitations of unemployment research………………………………17 Unemployment in poor communities…………………………………20 Poverty………………………………………………………………………..24 Coping………………………………………………………………………...27 Measuring coping……………………………………………………..32 Coping and unemployment……………………………………………34 Statement of the Problem……………………………………………………...38 III. METHOD..……………………………………………………………………………40 Participants…………………………………………………………………….40 Procedures……………………………………………………………………..43 i Instruments…………………………………………………………………….46 Demographic form…………………………………………………….46 Interview protocol……………………………………………………..46 Data Analysis………………………………………………………………….46 Research team…………………………………………………………47 Coding data into domains……………………………………………..50 Abstracting core ideas…………………………………………………50 Cross-analysis………………………………………………………….51 Stability check…………………………………………………………51 IV. RESULTS……………………………………………………………………………..52 Domains and Categories………………………………………………………53 The meaning of work………………………………………………….53 Participants’ reasons for and understanding of their unemployment….55 The effects of unemployment on participants’ daily life………………58 Making ends meet……………………………………………………...60 The effects of unemployment on participants’ social life……………...61 The effects of unemployment on participants’ family life……………..63 Participants’ appraisal of the most difficult aspects of unemployment...64 The effects of unemployment on participants’ emotions………………65 The effects of unemployment on participants’ sense of self………….. 68 Coping with unemployment……………………………………………69 Participants’ appraisal of the most effective coping methods…………71 Participants’ reflections on community resources……………………..72 Participants’ reflections on the intersection of unemployment and social class……………………………………………………………..73 ii Participants’ attributions for unemployment among the poor…………74 Participants’ experience of the interview………………………………75 Gender Differences…………………………………………………………….76 V. DISCUSSION………………………………………………………………………....78 Research Questions…………………………………………………………….80 Research Question 1: What are the experiences of unemployment specific to unemployed persons in poverty?..........................................80 Varied reasons for unemployment……………………………..80 Disrupted daily lives…………………………………………...83 Disrupted social lives……………………………………….….85 Disrupted family lives…………………………………………86 Research question 1: Summary of findings……………………87 Research Question 2: What experiences are appraised as most stressful?........................................................................................88 Research question 2: Summary of findings……………………89 Research Question 3: What is the psychological impact of these experiences on poor unemployed persons?............................................89 Sadness and hopelessness……………………………………...90 Anger…………………………………………………………..91 Low self-regard………………………………………………...92 Research question 3: Summary of findings…………………....95 Research Question 4: What personal and social resources and coping strategies are used by the poor unemployed to cope with unemployment?..........................96 Problem-focused coping strategies………………………….....97 iii Strategies to make ends meet………………………….97 Strategies to find work………………………………...99 Emotion-focused coping strategies…………………………....99 Relying on social support……………………………..99 Reframing disappointments………………………….100 Denying or suppressing negative affect……………...101 Religious coping……………………………………………...102 Research question 4: Summary of findings…………………..104 Research Question 5: What coping strategies are deemed to be most effective in managing the experience of unemployment?.........................................................104 Research question 5: Summary of findings…………………...106 Research Questions and Findings: Overview…………………………106 Gendered Dimensions of Unemployed Poverty…………………..…………..107 Increased rates of sadness and hopelessness among women………….108 Gender differences in coping………………………………………….110 Women’s material deprivation………………………………………...111 Women’s social isolation………………………………………………113 Contribution to the Literature………………………………………………….114 Deleterious effects of unemployment………………………………….115 The role of classism…………………………………………….115 Social exclusion………………………………………………...117 Labor market exclusion………………………………...118 Economic exclusion…………………………………….118 Institutional exclusion…………………………………..119 iv Social isolation…………………………………………119 Cultural exclusion………………………………………120 Spatial exclusion………………………………………..120 High risk………………………………………………..120 The role of gender……………………………………………...121 The poor unemployed are neither unmotivated nor passive……………122 Active coping strategies………………………………………...122 Limitations of the Study………………………………………………………..124 Implications for Practice………………………………………………………..126 Professional self-awareness…………………………………………….126 Conventional practices in community settings…………………………127 Unconventional practices in community settings………………………128 Inclusion of religion and spirituality……………………………………130 Summary……………………………………………………………..…130 Recommendations for Future Research………………………………...131 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………136 APPENDIXES……………………………………………………………….....162 A. Demographic Questionnaire…………………………………....162 B. Interview Protocol………………………………………………166 C. Flyer…………………………………………………………….169 v List of Tables and Figures Table 1 Participant Demographics……………………………………………………...42 Table 2 Participant Demographics by Gender………………………………………..151 Table 3 Cross-Analysis: Unemployed People in Poverty…………………………….152 Table 4 Gender-Analysis: Unemployed People in Poverty...........................................157 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Completing my doctoral degree would not have been possible without the love and support of my parents, Herman and Merna Chambers. Mommy and daddy, I am in awe of your commitment to us, there are very few like you. “I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you my heart has no bottom.” Thank you so much, I love you both with all my heart. I owe special acknowledgment to my advisor, Dr. Laura Smith, who worked tirelessly on several drafts of this dissertation. Laura, I was ever amazed at how quickly you responded to my questions, my drafts, and my concerns. You brought such a depth of knowledge to this work. Your dedication to poor and working class men and women is inspiring. You are truly a mentor in every sense of the word. I could not have completed the analysis without the help and support of Kristen Adams and Kendall Bassard who worked with me for over one year transcribing and analyzing interviews. We spent many a late night working through materials. I am grateful for your dedication to this work. Special thanks to Josh Shepherd, Mary Galeone, RSM, and Rachel Waltz. You welcomed me with open arms into your organizations. I wish continued