IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/woemps/v38y2024i2p418-441.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Does Precarious Employment Affect Mental Health? A Scoping Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Evidence from Western Economies

Author

Listed:
  • Annie Irvine

    (ESRC Centre for Society and Mental Health, King’s College London, UK)

  • Nikolas Rose

    (Australian National University, Australia; University College London, UK)

Abstract

This article offers a scoping review and thematic synthesis of qualitative research on the relationship between precarious employment and mental health. Systematic searches of primary qualitative research in western economies, focused on insecure contracts and a broad conceptualisation of mental health, identified 32 studies. Thematic synthesis revealed four core experiences of precarious employment: financial instability , temporal uncertainty , marginal status and employment insecurity , each connected with multiple, interrelated experiences/responses at four thematic levels: economic , socio-relational , behavioural and physical , leading to negative mental health effects. Reported mental health outcomes could be predominantly understood as reductions in ‘positive mental health’. Findings are theoretically located in models of work-family conflict and latent deprivation; insecure work constrains access to benefits of time structure, social contacts, social purposes, status and identity, which correlate with psychological wellbeing. Frequently failing also to provide the manifest (financial) benefits of work, insecure employment poses mental health risks on both fronts.

Suggested Citation

  • Annie Irvine & Nikolas Rose, 2024. "How Does Precarious Employment Affect Mental Health? A Scoping Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Evidence from Western Economies," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 38(2), pages 418-441, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:38:y:2024:i:2:p:418-441
    DOI: 10.1177/09500170221128698
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09500170221128698
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/09500170221128698?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Alan Felstead & Duncan Gallie & Francis Green & Golo Henseke, 2020. "Unpredictable times: the extent, characteristics and correlates of insecure hours of work in Britain," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(1-2), pages 34-57, March.
    2. Bénédicte Apouey & Alexandra Roulet & Isabelle Solal & Mark Stabile, 2020. "Gig Workers During the COVID-19 Crisis in France: Financial Precarity and Mental Well-Being," Working Papers halshs-02932784, HAL.
    3. Robert Castel, 2000. "The Roads to Disaffiliation: Insecure Work and Vulnerable Relationships," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 519-535, September.
    4. Eline Moens & Stijn Baert & Elsy Verhofstadt & Luc Van Ootegem, 2021. "Does loneliness lurk in temp work? Exploring the associations between temporary employment, loneliness at work and job satisfaction," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(5), pages 1-9, May.
    5. Bénédicte H. Apouey & Alexandra Roulet & Isabelle Solal & Mark Stabile, 2020. "Gig Workers during the COVID-19 Crisis in France: Financial Precarity and Mental Well-Being," Post-Print halshs-02973630, HAL.
    6. Signild Kvart & Johanna Jonsson & Theo Bodin & Carin Håkansta & Bertina Kreshpaj & Cecilia Orellana & Per-Olof Östergren & Lotta Nylén & Nuria Matilla-Santander, 2021. "Precarious Employment and Psychosocial Hazards: A Cross-Sectional Study in Stockholm County," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-13, October.
    7. Yucel Demiral & Tobias Ihle & Uwe Rose & Paul Maurice Conway & Hermann Burr, 2022. "Precarious Work as Risk Factor for 5-Year Increase in Depressive Symptoms," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(6), pages 1-21, March.
    8. Vanessa Beck & Paul Brook & Bob Carter & Ian Clark & Andy Danford & Nik Hammer & Shireen Kanji & Melanie Simms, 2016. "Work, employment and society sans frontières: extending and deepening our reach," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 30(2), pages 211-219, April.
    9. Matthew W. Ridley & Gautam Rao & Frank Schilbach & Vikram H. Patel, 2020. "Poverty, Depression, and Anxiety: Causal Evidence and Mechanisms," NBER Working Papers 27157, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Vik Loveday, 2018. "The neurotic academic: anxiety, casualisation, and governance in the neoliberalising university," Journal of Cultural Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(2), pages 154-166, March.
    11. Elena Pirani, 2017. "On the Relationship Between Atypical Work(s) and Mental Health: New Insights from the Italian Case," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 130(1), pages 233-252, January.
    12. Allmendinger, Jutta & Hipp, Lena & Stuth, Stefan, 2013. "Atypical employment in Europe 1996-2011," Discussion Papers, Presidential Department P 2013-003, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    13. Wayne Lewchuk & Marlea Clarke & Alice de Wolff, 2008. "Working without commitments: precarious employment and health," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 22(3), pages 387-406, September.
    14. Robert Castel, 2000. "The Roads to Disaffiliation: Insecure Work and Vulnerable Relationships," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(3), pages 519-535, September.
    15. Adam Mrozowicki & Vera Trappmann, 2021. "Precarity as a Biographical Problem? Young Workers Living with Precarity in Germany and Poland," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 35(2), pages 221-238, April.
    16. Rosy Musumeci & Chiara Ghislieri, 2020. "Some Voices from Italian Youth on Well-Being: How to Cope with Job Insecurity?," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-19, April.
    17. Birgit Thomson & Lena Hünefeld, 2021. "Temporary Agency Work and Well-Being—The Mediating Role of Job Insecurity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(21), pages 1-16, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dina Vaiou & Rouli Lykogianni, 2006. "Women, Neighbourhoods and Everyday Life," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 43(4), pages 731-743, April.
    2. Helen Collins & Susan Barry & Piotr Dzuga, 2022. "‘Working While Feeling Awful Is Normal’: One Roma’s Experience of Presenteeism," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 36(2), pages 362-371, April.
    3. Benjamin Semujanga & Xavier Parent-Rocheleau, 2024. "Time-Based Stress and Procedural Justice: Can Transparency Mitigate the Effects of Algorithmic Compensation in Gig Work?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(1), pages 1-16, January.
    4. Woo‐Yung KIM, 2023. "Do unions provide employment protection in times of economic crisis? A natural experiment of COVID‐19," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 162(4), pages 615-639, December.
    5. Lotta K. Harju & Joonas Rokka & Maíra Magalhães Lopes & Massimo Airoldi & Karine Raïes, 2021. "Employee Well-Being Profiles During Covid-19 Lockdown : A Latent Profile Analysis of French and UK employees," Post-Print hal-04376054, HAL.
    6. Bénédicte Apouey & Mark Stabile, 2022. "The effects of Uber diffusion on the mental health of drivers," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(7), pages 1468-1490, July.
    7. Udaya Wagle, 2014. "The Counting-Based Measurement of Multidimensional Poverty: The Focus on Economic Resources, Inner Capabilities, and Relational Resources in the United States," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 115(1), pages 223-240, January.
    8. Hanne Vandermeerschen & Tine Regenmortel & Jeroen Scheerder, 2017. "‘There are Alternatives, but Your Social Life is Curtailed’: Poverty and Sports Participation from an Insider Perspective," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 133(1), pages 119-138, August.
    9. Dimitri Ioannides & Szilvia Gyimóthy & Laura James, 2021. "From Liminal Labor to Decent Work: A Human-Centered Perspective on Sustainable Tourism Employment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-15, January.
    10. Tan, Karen Pei-Sze & Yang, Yang & Li, Xiang (Robert), 2022. "Catching a ride in the peer-to-peer economy: Tourists’ acceptance and use of ridesharing services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 504-518.
    11. Kelle HOWSON & Funda USTEK‐SPILDA & Alessio BERTOLINI & Richard HEEKS & Fabian FERRARI & Srujana KATTA & Matthew COLE & Pablo AGUERA RENESES & Nancy SALEM & David SUTCLIFFE & Shelly STEWARD & Mark GRA, 2022. "Stripping back the mask: Working conditions on digital labour platforms during the COVID‐19 pandemic," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 161(3), pages 413-440, September.
    12. Patricia Harrison & Helen Collins & Alexandra Bahor, 2022. "‘We Don’t Have the Same Opportunities as Others’: Shining Bourdieu’s Lens on UK Roma Migrants’ Precarious (Workers’) Habitus," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 36(2), pages 217-234, April.
    13. Adam Mrozowicki & Vera Trappmann, 2021. "Precarity as a Biographical Problem? Young Workers Living with Precarity in Germany and Poland," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 35(2), pages 221-238, April.
    14. Stuth, Stefan & Schels, Brigitte & Promberger, Markus & Jahn, Kerstin & Allmendinger, Jutta, 2018. "Prekarität in Deutschland?!," Discussion Papers, Presidential Department P 2018-004, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    15. Thompson, Sanna & Jun, Jina & Bender, Kimberly & Ferguson, Kristin M. & Pollio, David E., 2010. "Estrangement factors associated with addiction to alcohol and drugs among homeless youth in three U.S. cities," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 418-427, November.
    16. James Duggan & Michelle O’Sullivan & Maeve O’Sullivan, 2023. "Essential or excluded? Union pressures and state responses to platform work in three liberal market economies," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 29(4), pages 491-505, November.
    17. Virginia Gunn & Bertina Kreshpaj & Nuria Matilla-Santander & Emilia F. Vignola & David H. Wegman & Christer Hogstedt & Emily Q. Ahonen & Theo Bodin & Cecilia Orellana & Sherry Baron & Carles Muntaner , 2022. "Initiatives Addressing Precarious Employment and Its Effects on Workers’ Health and Well-Being: A Systematic Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-35, February.
    18. Martin J. Murray, 2009. "Fire and Ice: Unnatural Disasters and the Disposable Urban Poor in Post‐Apartheid Johannesburg," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(1), pages 165-192, March.
    19. Louis Delamarre & Salma Tannous & Ines Lakbar & Sébastien Couarraze & Bruno Pereira & Marc Leone & Fouad Marhar & Julien S. Baker & Reza Bagheri & Mickael Berton & Hana Rabbouch & Marek Zak & Tomasz S, 2022. "The Evolution of Effort-Reward Imbalance in Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic in France—An Observational Study in More than 8000 Workers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-13, July.
    20. Nurul Iman Abdul Jalil & Soon Aun Tan & Nur Shakila Ibharim & Anisah Zainab Musa & Siew Hui Ang & Wustari L. Mangundjaya, 2023. "The Relationship between Job Insecurity and Psychological Well-Being among Malaysian Precarious Workers: Work–Life Balance as a Mediator," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-14, February.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:woemps:v:38:y:2024:i:2:p:418-441. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.britsoc.co.uk/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.