by Jennie Dilworth, Ph.D
Keywords: depression, job loss, gratitude, positive psychology
Long-term unemployment can be more than just financially devastating, it can lead to significant changes in self-esteem and self-efficacy. Unemployment can lead to depression which, in turn, makes it even harder to find work. Thus, a self-perpetuating cycle is created and depression only further erodes a person’s ability to keep focused on the job search. A promising, relatively new treatment for depression, PPI, may offer real hope for those suffering from depression brought on by extended unemployment.
Since 2000, positive psychology has gained popularity and demonstrated solid results in enhancing well-being and turning the tide of depression. A number of websites devoted to positive psychology share techniques, resources, and study results. For example, the University of Pennsylvania has established a Positive Psychology Center and even offers a master’s degree in the subject (http://www.ppc.sas.upenn.edu/). Studies finding support for cognitive techniques based on positive psychology are increasing and it seems particularly beneficial for people with negative attitudes and depressed symptomatology.
In a recently published study[1] drawing on positive psychology principles, researchers compared two groups of long-term unemployed individuals, one group following positive psychology intervention (PPI) techniques and the other receiving no treatment. Promising results showed that PPI may be very helpful to the long-term unemployed who have begun to give up hope. Even better, these techniques can be easily applied by anyone as they do not require long-term cognitive or behavioral intervention. What is truly amazing about this intervention is the length of “treatment” required to achieve results. After only 2 weeks, significant changes were noted for those using the PPI techniques! Some of the PPI techniques included the following:
- recording at least three good things that happened each day: this was done every day for a week, and participants had to write down the causes of these helpful events,
- performing altruistic acts: participants were asked to pick from a list of altruistic acts and perform at least one or two acts each week,
- identifying and putting strengths into action: after identifying each participant’s top 5 strengths, they were asked to apply these strengths in a new and different way,
- writing gratitude letters: participants identified someone in their lives who they had never properly thanked and then write them a letter of gratitude. They could choose whether or not to deliver the letter.
After two weeks of using these techniques, depression and anxiety decreased and life satisfaction and self-esteem increased. Although the sample size was small and further study is needed, these results bring hope of alleviating the anxiety and depression associated with long-term unemployment using easily-applied techniques.
This article was originally posted on Linked-In.
[1] Dambrun, M., & Dubuy, A. (2014). A positive psychology intervention for long-term unemployed people and its effects on psychological distress and well-being. Journal of Unemployment Counseling, 51(2), 75-88. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1920.2014.00043.x