Psychological Implications of Unemployment Among Bangladesh Civil Service Job Seekers: A Pilot Study
Background: Recent trends suggest that university graduates seeking jobs are more susceptible to common mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, or stress. However, the mental health issues among unemployed graduates has not been explored in Bangladesh yet.Aims: This study aimed to assess for...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2019-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00578/full |
| _version_ | 1828185185194082304 |
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| author | Md. Abdur Rafi Md. Abdur Rafi Mohammed A. Mamun Mohammed A. Mamun Kamrul Hsan Kamrul Hsan Moazzem Hossain David Gozal |
| author_facet | Md. Abdur Rafi Md. Abdur Rafi Mohammed A. Mamun Mohammed A. Mamun Kamrul Hsan Kamrul Hsan Moazzem Hossain David Gozal |
| author_sort | Md. Abdur Rafi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Recent trends suggest that university graduates seeking jobs are more susceptible to common mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, or stress. However, the mental health issues among unemployed graduates has not been explored in Bangladesh yet.Aims: This study aimed to assess for the first time the prevalence and associated risk factors of depression, anxiety, and stress among Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) job seekers. Three hundred four graduates residing in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, who were preparing to attend the 40th BCS examination, the most sought-after employment opportunity in the country, were surveyed.Methods: Measures included socio-demographics, field of study, and career-related variables, and the Bangla Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Chi-square test, Fisher exact test, and binary logistic regression with “depression,” “anxiety,” and “stress” as the dependent variables were carried out to identify the factors associated with these.Results: Overall, the prevalence of moderate to extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress was 49.3%, 53.6%, and 28.3%, respectively, with no detectable differences between genders. Insecurity related to a BCS job (OR = 0.41; CI = 0.26–0.65, p < 0.001; ref: job insecurity), family and social pressure to obtain a BCS job (OR = 4.58; CI = 1.67–12.56, p < 0.001), and stress (OR = 8.33; CI = 4.47–15.51, p < 0.001) emerged as independent predictors for depression. In addition, having part-time job was associated with anxiety (OR = 2.38; CI = 1.34–4.23, p = 0.003), and security in a BCS job and serving the nation through this job were negatively associated with stress (OR = 0.59; CI = 0.35–0.98, p = 0.042 vs. OR = 0.59; CI = 0.36–1.00, p = 0.05).Conclusion: The relatively high rates of depression, anxiety, and stress among graduate job seekers should prompt implementation of market force initiatives that incorporate interventions related to the major risk factors uncovered herein. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T07:00:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-70a6a5b6305c4f76933f9d43deb66341 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T07:00:27Z |
| publishDate | 2019-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-70a6a5b6305c4f76933f9d43deb663412022-12-22T03:43:02ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402019-08-011010.3389/fpsyt.2019.00578459193Psychological Implications of Unemployment Among Bangladesh Civil Service Job Seekers: A Pilot StudyMd. Abdur Rafi0Md. Abdur Rafi1Mohammed A. Mamun2Mohammed A. Mamun3Kamrul Hsan4Kamrul Hsan5Moazzem Hossain6David Gozal7Rajshahi Medical College, Rajshahi, BangladeshUndergraduate Research Organization, Dhaka, BangladeshUndergraduate Research Organization, Dhaka, BangladeshDepartment of Public Health & Informatics, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, BangladeshDepartment of Public Health & Informatics, Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, BangladeshInstitute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology of Bangladesh, Dhaka, BangladeshInstitute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology of Bangladesh, Dhaka, BangladeshDepartment of Child Health and the Child Health Research Institute, The University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO, United StatesBackground: Recent trends suggest that university graduates seeking jobs are more susceptible to common mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, or stress. However, the mental health issues among unemployed graduates has not been explored in Bangladesh yet.Aims: This study aimed to assess for the first time the prevalence and associated risk factors of depression, anxiety, and stress among Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) job seekers. Three hundred four graduates residing in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, who were preparing to attend the 40th BCS examination, the most sought-after employment opportunity in the country, were surveyed.Methods: Measures included socio-demographics, field of study, and career-related variables, and the Bangla Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Chi-square test, Fisher exact test, and binary logistic regression with “depression,” “anxiety,” and “stress” as the dependent variables were carried out to identify the factors associated with these.Results: Overall, the prevalence of moderate to extremely severe depression, anxiety, and stress was 49.3%, 53.6%, and 28.3%, respectively, with no detectable differences between genders. Insecurity related to a BCS job (OR = 0.41; CI = 0.26–0.65, p < 0.001; ref: job insecurity), family and social pressure to obtain a BCS job (OR = 4.58; CI = 1.67–12.56, p < 0.001), and stress (OR = 8.33; CI = 4.47–15.51, p < 0.001) emerged as independent predictors for depression. In addition, having part-time job was associated with anxiety (OR = 2.38; CI = 1.34–4.23, p = 0.003), and security in a BCS job and serving the nation through this job were negatively associated with stress (OR = 0.59; CI = 0.35–0.98, p = 0.042 vs. OR = 0.59; CI = 0.36–1.00, p = 0.05).Conclusion: The relatively high rates of depression, anxiety, and stress among graduate job seekers should prompt implementation of market force initiatives that incorporate interventions related to the major risk factors uncovered herein.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00578/fulldepressionanxietystressjob seekersunemployed graduatesBangladesh Civil Service |
| spellingShingle | Md. Abdur Rafi Md. Abdur Rafi Mohammed A. Mamun Mohammed A. Mamun Kamrul Hsan Kamrul Hsan Moazzem Hossain David Gozal Psychological Implications of Unemployment Among Bangladesh Civil Service Job Seekers: A Pilot Study Frontiers in Psychiatry depression anxiety stress job seekers unemployed graduates Bangladesh Civil Service |
| title | Psychological Implications of Unemployment Among Bangladesh Civil Service Job Seekers: A Pilot Study |
| title_full | Psychological Implications of Unemployment Among Bangladesh Civil Service Job Seekers: A Pilot Study |
| title_fullStr | Psychological Implications of Unemployment Among Bangladesh Civil Service Job Seekers: A Pilot Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Psychological Implications of Unemployment Among Bangladesh Civil Service Job Seekers: A Pilot Study |
| title_short | Psychological Implications of Unemployment Among Bangladesh Civil Service Job Seekers: A Pilot Study |
| title_sort | psychological implications of unemployment among bangladesh civil service job seekers a pilot study |
| topic | depression anxiety stress job seekers unemployed graduates Bangladesh Civil Service |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00578/full |
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