WEDNESDAY, Feb. 29, 2012 (HealthDay News) -- People worried about losing their jobs become dissatisfied with many aspects of their life and their work performance, and their commitment suffers, a new study indicates.
Spanish psychologists analyzed questionnaires completed by 321 workers with an average age of 32 who had jobs in hospitals, supermarkets and commercial distribution companies, or were temporary work agency employees.
As the fear of job loss increases, "people are less satisfied with their personal, work and family lives and they are less committed to their work," study co-author Amparo Caballer, a researcher in the psychology department at the University of Valencia, said in a Plataforma SINC news release.
The researchers also found that job insecurity has different effects on blue-collar workers (supermarket shelf-stockers or hospital attendants, for example), white-collar workers (office or administration) and professionals (nurses, doctors or engineers).
When faced with job uncertainty, blue-collar workers "are less satisfied with life and they work less productively than the other groups studied," Caballer said.
The study was published in The Spanish Journal of Psychology.
Spain is suffering very high levels of unemployment, with the latest estimates putting the jobless rate at nearly 23 percent.
More information
Helpguide.org offers tips to reduce and manage stress at work.
