Young people who argue with their fathers are less resilient when faced with unemployment as adults

The FINANCIAL — Adolescents who have poor relationships with their fathers are more likely to fare worse psychologically if they become unemployed as adults says new research from the Centre for Economic Performance, at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Young people aged between 11 – 15 who argue more, on average, with their fathers are significantly more likely to suffer a much bigger knock to their mental wellbeing and life satisfaction when they experience unemployment later in their lives. They are also less likely to bounce back psychologically from a long spell of unemployment compared to the ‘average person’, according to the research published in the Journal of Economic Psychology.

Boys who have a lot of fights with friends at school also seem to suffer more from the worst effects of unemployment. But those who frequently talk to their Fathers about ‘things that matter’ seem to be buffered from its worst impacts.

Factors such as having more close childhood friends or a father who suffers from poor mental health do not seem to impact on boys’ ability to cope with unemployment, according to LSE.

“We know that unemployment is a massively distressing event that many people do not completely recover from psychologically even after their income has returned to pre-unemployment levels. What we know a lot less about is why some people are more or less affected by unemployment than others,” Professor Nick Powdthavee, author of the research, said.

“Having a stable and supportive childhood matters to the way we form our resilience in adulthood, and this research helps us predict early-on which children may grow up to be less able to cope and adapt to negative events, such as unemployment, in the future,” he added.

The research also shows that girls, but not boys, whose mothers are unemployed – as distinct from being stay-at-home mothers – are protected from the worst psychological effects of unemployment in later life. 

Professor Powdthavee analysed data from the British Household Panel Survey, which tracked almost 3000 adolescents, aged of 11- 15 years, into adulthood. Using responses to questions asked as part of the youth survey, he was able to follow the fortunes of young people with childhood characteristics – known from existing psychological research –  which could either increase their risk to, or protect them from, negative psychological shocks, such as unemployment.