The Impact of Unemployment on Mental Health Problems among Adults in Pakistan

Authors

  • Muhammad Salman Qureshi Research Scholar, Motivational Speaker and officer at Rahnuma FPAP & Practitioner, Trainer in Rehabilitation and Private Organizations, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.
  • Mashiat Zahra University of Greater Manchester, England, United Kingdom.
  • Aurang Zaib Ashraf Shami Internationally Accredited Life Coach/Practitioner (NLP & Hypnotherapy)/Founder/CEO (11 COACHES), Gulberg-III, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan.
  • Anam Zafar Alumni, Department of Applied Psychology, University of Sahiwal, Sahiwal, Punjab, Pakistan.
  • Amjid Khan CEO, Friends Associates Islamabad, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62843/jrsr/2025.4a066

Keywords:

Unemployment, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Adults

Abstract

Unemployment is one of the most common causes of mental health problems however, it has Unemployment has rarely been studied among adults in Pakistan, despite being widely observed and discussed on a day-to-day basis. The objective of this study is to address this gap and examine the effect of unemployment on mental health problems, operationalized as depression, anxiety, and stress. The study adopted a cross-sectional correlational design and purposive sampling technique to collect data from Pakistani adults (aged at least 18 years, both genders) with at least an intermediate qualification. The study included two questionnaires: the Unemployment Syndrome Scale, and DASS (21-tems, shorter version), to assess the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress. The findings indicate a significant association between unemployment and depression, anxiety, and stress. Moreover, the regression analysis also shows a significant effect of unemployment on depression, anxiety, and stress among Pakistani adults. The study provides useful implications for mental health professionals, parents, and the government to play a positive role in addressing these issues.

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Published

2025-03-30

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): WINTER 2025

Section

Articles

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Qureshi, M. S., Zahra, M., Shami, A. Z. A., Zafar, A., & Khan, A. (2025). The Impact of Unemployment on Mental Health Problems among Adults in Pakistan. Journal of Regional Studies Review, 4(1), 216-222. https://doi.org/10.62843/jrsr/2025.4a066

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