Attitudes and Social Support: Determinants of Job‐Seeking Behavior and Well‐Being among the Unemployed¹

Abstract

What determines job‐seeking behavior following a job loss? What are the mental health consequences of an unsuccessful job search? These questions were addressed in a longitudinal panel survey of 297 recently unemployed people, over a four‐month period of their lives. In support of the Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) attitude‐behavior model, intention to try hard to seek reemployment was the main significant predictor of job‐seeking behavior during the subsequent four months. Intention, along with affirmation support from a significant other regarding the value of job search, accounted for 24% of the variance in job‐seeking behavior. The attitude toward job seeking and the subjective norms (perceived social pressure to seek reemployment) were the main determinants of the intention, accounting for 69% of its variance. The unemployed person's attitude toward job seeking and subjective norms were, in turn, determined by (a) perceived instrumentality (expectations that job‐seeking will lead to reemployment), (b) perceived economic hardship, (c) social support from the significant other (usually the spouse) in the form of affirmation of the value of job‐seeking activities, and (d) the significant other's perception of the instrumentality of various job‐seeking behaviors and of subjective norms regarding job‐seeking. Other analyses showed that social support can counteract the negative effects of unsuccessful job search on mental health and that such effects are particularly pronounced among the more highly motivated job seekers. The implications of these findings for intervention programs are discussed.