Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26715495›Full record

SynthesisInternational archives of occupational and environmental health2016

Perceived job insecurity, unemployment and depressive symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective observational studies.

T J Kim, O von dem Knesebeck

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International archives of occupational and environmental health, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 120 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
120citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
14.6field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

120 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 265 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. A meta-analysis of unemployment risk factors for middle-aged workers.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2025
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  9. Factors Associated with Work-Related Burnout among Corporate Employees Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022
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  12. Factors associated with health state valuations: a secondary analysis of an EQ-5D-3L valuation study from Jordan.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026
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60 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

T J KimDepartment of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany. t.kim@uke.de.
O von dem KnesebeckDepartment of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246, Hamburg, Germany.
University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf · DE

Funding

U19 MIDlife in the United States-Diversity Supplement-WellsU19AG051426 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · PI CAROL D. RYFF · 2016 to 2026
$74.8M
STATISTICS COREP01AG020166 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · PI RYFF, CAROL D. · 2002 to 2015
$50.6M
NIA NIH HHS P01 AG020166NIA NIH HHS U19 AG051426
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeIt was shown that both job insecurity and unemployment are strongly and consistently associated with depressive symptoms. It is, however, less clear whether perceived job insecurity and unemployment constitute a comparable risk for the onset of depressive symptoms. A meta-analysis was conducted to explore this issue.

methodsIn December 2014, relevant records were identified through the databases MEDLINE, Embase and PsychINFO. Articles were included if they had been published in the last 10 years and contained a quantitative analysis on the prospective link between job insecurity and unemployment with depressive symptoms.

resultsIn 20 cohort studies within 15 articles, job insecurity and unemployment were significantly related to a higher risk of depressive symptoms, with the odds ratio (OR) being modestly higher for job insecurity (1.29, 95% CI 1.06-1.57) than for unemployment (1.19, 95% CI 1.11-1.28). Sensitivity analyses revealed that the effects were strongest in studies that examined younger respondents (<40 years) and used an unadjusted statistical model. By considering the length of the observational period, it was shown that unemployment ORs were higher in shorter time lags (under 1 year), while ORs for job insecurity were increased in longer exposure-outcome intervals (3-4 years). Specifically for unemployment, ORs were highest in studies that did not control for potential health selection effects and that ascertained enduring unemployment. A statistically significant publication bias was found for studies on unemployment, but not for job insecurity.

conclusionsThe analyses revealed that both perceived job insecurity and unemployment constitute significant risks of increased depressive symptoms in prospective observational studies. By comparing both stressors, job insecurity can pose a comparable (and even modestly increased) risk of subsequent depressive symptoms.

Indexed as

DepressionEmploymentHumansObservational Studies as TopicPerceptionProspective StudiesUnemploymentWorkplaceDepressive symptomsMeta-analysisPerceived job insecuritySystematic reviewUnemployment

Identifiers

PMID26715495
OpenAlexW2206155771

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.