A grounded theory exploration of undergraduate experiences of vicarious unemployment.

Abstract

The experiences of vicarious unemployment (VU) among 17 undergraduate student participants who had a primary caregiver who was involuntarily unemployed were explored using grounded theory (Charmaz, 2006; Glaser & Strauss, 1967). Data from semistructured interviews with 15 women and 2 men revealed the nuanced nature of experiences with unemployment among those who experience it vicariously. Struggles related to increased family stress and experiences with stigma were common across participants. As participants reflected upon these challenges, they both lamented the costs associated with the struggles and expressed appreciation for the lessons that they have learned. They emerged from their VU experiences with increased financial and job market awareness, which informed their hope for a life that is free from the struggles endured in their families. Participants expressed confidence in their ability to cultivate financial security for their own families, stable employment, and opportunities to pursue work that will allow them to give back to others. Implications for counseling and directions for future research are discussed.

Financial Stress and Work Hope Beliefs Among Adolescents

“…These results also extend those from previous research (e.g., Gutman & Eccles, 1999;Simons et al, 1991;Ullah, 1990) that documented the detrimental effects of financial strain on adolescent development in other domains (e.g., academic achievement, psychological health, and commitment to obtaining employment). The negative relationship between heightened levels of financial stress and strain and work hope also offers quantitative support for Thompson, Nitzarim, Her, and Dahling's (2013) grounded theory investigation of the experience of vicarious unemployment among college students, which highlighted the implications of caregiver unemployment on college students' perceived levels of stress related to their own educational and vocational development.…”

Parenting stress and risk of child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: A family stress theory-informed perspective

“…Loss of a job often means loss of medical insurance, which will only exacerbate financial pressure, particularly for families that had a low income. Many previous studies have shown that poverty or unemployment is significantly associated with increased family stress (e.g., Howe et al, 2012;Pignault & Houssemand, 2018;Thompson et al, 2013).…”

Exploring the Challenges of First-Year Student Funding: An Intra-Institutional Case Study

“…Students who require funding often hail from marginalised groups. Although one cannot homogenise such groups, they face many obstacles: family stresses, financial strain, stigmatisation, social integration, and lack of access to the culture of the academy (Thompson et al, 2013). That said, such challenges are not only felt by so-called "disadvantaged" students.…”