Financial Strain, Covid-19 Anxiety and Suicidal Ideation Among Wage Workers During the Pandemic Crisis 2019
The global lockdowns owing to the Covid-19 pandemic have sparked attention in the relationship between financial strain, anxiety and suicidal thoughts among wage workers in India, the worst hit. This study was inspired by the lack of data on wage labourers’ financial strain, Covid-19 anxiety and sui...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Vikalpa |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/02560909231208545 |
| _version_ | 1797374743839506432 |
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| author | Shagufta Tariq Khan Mohd Abass Bhat Wizra Saeed |
| author_facet | Shagufta Tariq Khan Mohd Abass Bhat Wizra Saeed |
| author_sort | Shagufta Tariq Khan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The global lockdowns owing to the Covid-19 pandemic have sparked attention in the relationship between financial strain, anxiety and suicidal thoughts among wage workers in India, the worst hit. This study was inspired by the lack of data on wage labourers’ financial strain, Covid-19 anxiety and suicidal ideation during the pandemic. This study is supported by the General Strain Theory, which states that economic or financial stress causes dissatisfaction, sadness and anxiety, which can lead to suicide ideation ( Agnew, 1992 ). Wage labourers from Jammu and Kashmir (India) in the informal sector were studied. However, the sample frame was unavailable. Thus, the researchers used convenience sampling to choose respondents from all Kashmir valley districts. Questionnaire item count determined sample size. According to Hair et al. (1998) , the sample size should be 10 times the questionnaire items. A sample of 395 wage workers was selected. Path analysis showed that financial strain causes suicidal ideation and anxiety (Covid-19), while wage workers’ worry leads to suicidal ideation. Financial stress and suicidal ideation are partially mediated by anxiety (Covid-19). These findings imply wage workers take specific steps to improve themselves and prepare for future crises like Covid-19. The survey found wage employees were hardest harmed by the pandemic. This experience shows that government, non-government organizations and religious communities are necessary and supportive. The government should provide food security and health insurance to wage earners in emergencies. For schemes, compensation and other benefits, the government should help workers to register with labour and employment organizations. Future studies would seek to identify other pandemic-related factors that drive wage workers to suicide. In a crisis, revealing additional factors might help create wage-earning programmes. Further investigations in diverse situations are needed to derive context-specific findings to validate this study. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:10:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ee4eb27a22f44806b2f3ba6eb133f68c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0256-0909 2395-3799 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:10:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Vikalpa |
| spelling | doaj.art-ee4eb27a22f44806b2f3ba6eb133f68c2023-12-27T19:03:31ZengSAGE PublishingVikalpa0256-09092395-37992023-12-014810.1177/02560909231208545Financial Strain, Covid-19 Anxiety and Suicidal Ideation Among Wage Workers During the Pandemic Crisis 2019Shagufta Tariq Khan0Mohd Abass Bhat1Wizra Saeed2Department of Logistics, Tourism and Service Management, German University of Technology (GUtech), Muscat, OmanDepartment of Business studies, College of Economics and Business Administration, University of Technology and Applied Sciences, Muscat, OmanEffat University, Jeddah, Saudi ArabiaThe global lockdowns owing to the Covid-19 pandemic have sparked attention in the relationship between financial strain, anxiety and suicidal thoughts among wage workers in India, the worst hit. This study was inspired by the lack of data on wage labourers’ financial strain, Covid-19 anxiety and suicidal ideation during the pandemic. This study is supported by the General Strain Theory, which states that economic or financial stress causes dissatisfaction, sadness and anxiety, which can lead to suicide ideation ( Agnew, 1992 ). Wage labourers from Jammu and Kashmir (India) in the informal sector were studied. However, the sample frame was unavailable. Thus, the researchers used convenience sampling to choose respondents from all Kashmir valley districts. Questionnaire item count determined sample size. According to Hair et al. (1998) , the sample size should be 10 times the questionnaire items. A sample of 395 wage workers was selected. Path analysis showed that financial strain causes suicidal ideation and anxiety (Covid-19), while wage workers’ worry leads to suicidal ideation. Financial stress and suicidal ideation are partially mediated by anxiety (Covid-19). These findings imply wage workers take specific steps to improve themselves and prepare for future crises like Covid-19. The survey found wage employees were hardest harmed by the pandemic. This experience shows that government, non-government organizations and religious communities are necessary and supportive. The government should provide food security and health insurance to wage earners in emergencies. For schemes, compensation and other benefits, the government should help workers to register with labour and employment organizations. Future studies would seek to identify other pandemic-related factors that drive wage workers to suicide. In a crisis, revealing additional factors might help create wage-earning programmes. Further investigations in diverse situations are needed to derive context-specific findings to validate this study.https://doi.org/10.1177/02560909231208545 |
| spellingShingle | Shagufta Tariq Khan Mohd Abass Bhat Wizra Saeed Financial Strain, Covid-19 Anxiety and Suicidal Ideation Among Wage Workers During the Pandemic Crisis 2019 Vikalpa |
| title | Financial Strain, Covid-19 Anxiety and Suicidal Ideation Among Wage Workers During the Pandemic Crisis 2019 |
| title_full | Financial Strain, Covid-19 Anxiety and Suicidal Ideation Among Wage Workers During the Pandemic Crisis 2019 |
| title_fullStr | Financial Strain, Covid-19 Anxiety and Suicidal Ideation Among Wage Workers During the Pandemic Crisis 2019 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Financial Strain, Covid-19 Anxiety and Suicidal Ideation Among Wage Workers During the Pandemic Crisis 2019 |
| title_short | Financial Strain, Covid-19 Anxiety and Suicidal Ideation Among Wage Workers During the Pandemic Crisis 2019 |
| title_sort | financial strain covid 19 anxiety and suicidal ideation among wage workers during the pandemic crisis 2019 |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/02560909231208545 |
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