Be mindful of psychological toll of joblessness

Unemployment affects more than one's budget. It can also take a toll on one's self-esteem.

Dr. Michelle Carro, assistant psychology professor-in-residence and director of The PRACTICE: A UNLV Community Mental Health Clinic at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, said losing one's job often speaks to a person's fundamental self.

"Losing a job has a bit of a ripple effect in the sense that it's going to impact one's sense of efficacy," she said. "For people (to have) a genuine sense of self-esteem, you have to feel that you're effective at something, competent at something. One way we get that need met is through our work. So, if you lose a job, it affects you at a personal level. (You ask) am I good at something? Does someone value me through the work that I do and see me as competent? Then there's the real-world stress ---- not having the means to support yourself and put food on the table, a roof over your head, to be able to pay for things."

Carro said families feel the emotional consequences of a parent's unemployment.

"Children take their cues from their parents, so if one or both parents are struggling financially, and they are emotionally struggling, then kids are going to feel that strain," she said.

She said some children will compensate by poring themselves into their schoolwork, while others have trouble sleeping or trouble separating, depending on the child's age.

"So, you can find that the kids will feel the stress," Carro said. "If you think about it, families are a system, and when one part of the system is having trouble, then the whole system is going to respond in some way to counterbalance the struggle that the (unemployed parent) is feeling."

Markie Blumer, assistant professor for UNLV's Department of Marriage and Family Therapy at the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, said unemployment is often tough on a relationship and that there can be increased hostility and couple conflict, decreased support for one another and possibly an increase in domestic violence. She said the unemployed are home but are often so busy looking for work that they spend less time with their children.

Even finding work is no guarantee of freedom from anxiety.

Blumer said some people who have found employment "think 'I should just be happy that I have a job.' And so that actually creates some problems too because people are feeling like, 'OK, I don't really have a right to complain about my work conditions because at least I have a job, and there are so many people who don't.' So I think we've seen a big shift, even in just a couple years, because of this increased unemployment, in people's thinking. Because (before this), I don't think people really thought, in terms of their jobs, like this."

WATCH FOR WARNING SIGNS

Blumer said unemployed people should watch for warning signs, such as:

---Struggling with sleep and eating and gaining or losing weight.

---Not being able to be productive, even at home.

---Not being able to think clearly.

---Drinking or smoking more.

"... A few extra beers a night, that would be a warning sign," Blumer said. "If others are saying to you, 'You seem like you're not yourself.' If you can't seem to push back tears or if you're crying a lot ---- heart pounding, palms sweating ---- those are all indicators of being under high distress."

KNOW WHERE TO FIND HELP

Members of the public have some options for counseling on the UNLV campus, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway. They can call The PRACTICE at 702-895-1532. Marriage and family therapists at The Center for Individual, Couple, and Family Counseling at UNLV can also help couples and families affected by unemployment. For more information, call 702-895-3106.

These clinics work off a sliding scale based on income.

Contact Summerlin/Summerlin South View reporter Jan Hogan at jhogan@viewnews.com or 702-387-2949.