A study exploring the impact of unemployment on the psychological well‐being of youth

Abstract

Unemployment is widely recognized to cause a variety of psychosocial problems that might have a harmful impact on mental health. The study looks into the psychological well‐being of youth and their personal experiences with the unemployment. This article draws on primary sources to provide an in‐depth understanding of the effects unemployment among youth in Anantnag, Kashmir. The primary data include narratives, which are a qualitative approach that specifically emphasizes the stories of those who were unemployed. To collect the data, a demographic form and an interview guide were used. An unstructured interview schedule was employed with 25 youths with ages ranging from 21 to 32 years. Data were collected from July to August 2023. Participants were selected using the snowball sampling method. All of the participants were from Anantnag, the district in Jammu and Kashmir. As per the findings of the study, unemployment causes youth to feel worthless, lose self‐identity, feel shame, and experience stress. Given the possible detrimental effects of youth unemployment, efforts should be made to increase psychological support for unemployed youth to address mental health issues.