Time structure and unemployment: A longitudinal investigation

The purpose of this study was to increase our understanding of time structure (the degree to which individuals perceive their use of time as structured and useful) among individuals who are unemployed. First, our study assessed the relationship between time structure and employment status. We found partial support: for the hypothesis that unemployed individuals would have lower levels of time structure than employed individuals, and that perceived time structure would increase as individuals moved from unemployment into employment. Second, this study tested a longitudinal structural model of the relationship between time structure and mental health among our continuously unemployed participants. Our results supported a causal path from time structure (assessed two months after job loss) to mental health (assessed five months after job loss).