Employment status and mortality in the context of high and low regional unemployment levels in Belgium (2001-2011): A test of the social norm hypothesis across educational levels

PLoS One. 2018 Feb 8;13(2):e0192526. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192526. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Because of compositional effects (more highly educated unemployed) and differences in the vulnerability towards the health consequences of unemployment (i.e. disappointment paradox hypothesis and/or status inconsistency for highly educated unemployed), it is argued that indicators of educational attainment need to be included when investigating the social norm of unemployment. Data from the 2001 census linked to register data from 2001-2011 are used, selecting all Belgian employed and unemployed between 30 and 59-year-old at time of the census. Poisson multilevel modelling was used to account for clustering of respondents within sub-districts. For individuals with low education levels, the relative difference in mortality rate ratios between the unemployed and employed is smallest in those regions where aggregate unemployment levels are high. For highly educated, this social norm effect was not found. This study suggest that the social norm effect is stronger for workers with low education levels, while highly educated workers suffer from disappointment and status inconsistency.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Belgium / epidemiology
  • Educational Status*
  • Employment*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mortality*
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Poisson Distribution
  • Social Norms*
  • Unemployment

Grants and funding

The research for this article has been supported by the Belgian Science Policy Office (Belspo, Brain-project Causineq 2014-2017, Grant DWTC298) and the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) (Grant G.036816.N). Deborah De Moortel is a FWO [PEGASUS]2 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow. Her research has received funding from the FWO and European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 665501.