The possibility of losing your job may be more detrimental to your health than actually losing it. In a 16-year study that included over 3,600 adults, University of Michigan researchers have found that those who do not have job security suffer from an array of mental and physical health problems.

"Chronic job insecurity" the term given to an employee's anxiety about losing his or her job, was found to lead to illness and depression even more than actual job loss. "It's the unrelenting nature of stress that ultimately causes damage," explained medical psychologist Joseph Mancusi in a Washington Post article. "If you're fired you have some things you can do. You can go into action and cope." If you are worried about losing your job, Mancusi said, "You can't cope. You're in constant response. You keep revisiting [the problem], but there's no relief. That sends your blood pressure up, and the chemistry of your body and brain changes." This stress can lead to a number of problems including sleeplessness, which ultimately breaks down the immune system.

Sarah Burgard, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Michigan and one of the study's researchers, finds the report especially disturbing as more and more companies are downsizing and merging.

"This study indicates that it may be necessary to push back the boundaries of those we consider vulnerable in the world of work from just those who are involuntarily displaced from their jobs, to include people who are chronically worried about such an event," she told the Washington Post. "This could mean that policymakers need to think about the health-care costs and productivity losses that could occur in workforces composed of a rising number of insecure employees."

[via Washington Post]

Image: worldbank.org