Unemployment Ups Depression Risk: Gallup Survey

Statistics show that about 7 percent of the U.S. adult population is affected by depression. Various environmental and genetic factors can contribute to this health issue that afflicts millions throughout the world.

Yet a 2013 Gallup poll titled "In U.S., Depression Rates Higher for Long-Term Unemployed" that surveyed 356,599 Americans showed that for unemployed participants who were unemployed for extended periods were more likely to suffer from depression. 

"The longer that Americans are unemployed, the more likely they are to report signs of poor psychological well-being," the study says, in a news release. "About one in five Americans who have been unemployed for a year or more say they currently have or are being treated for depression - almost double the rate among those who have been unemployed for five weeks or less."

For those unemployed for six-months to one-year, 17 percent were being treated for depression, according to the poll. Nineteen percent of those unemployed for over one year also reported being treated for depression.

Those who were out of a job for longer periods of time also tended to be more pessimistic about finding a new job. For instance, roughly 70 percent of those who were out of a job for five weeks or less believed that they might have some success finding a new job in the next four weeks or so. However, those who had been unemployed for at least one year were 30 percent less optimistic about finding a job within the next four weeks.

Depression rates were then compared between unemployed and employed adults. Researchers found that unemployed people were about two times more likely to be depressed than employed ones, with rates of 12.4 percent to 6.4 percent, respectively.

The study examined depression rates based on types of employment and found that roughly 5.6 percent of people with fulltime jobs were receiving some sort of treatment for depression, while 8 percent with part-time employment who were not seeking fulltime work were depressed.

For more information regarding the poll, click here.