Stuck in A Bad Job? New Study Says Future Mental Health May Be Affected

This is no rocket science – being stuck in a bad or unsatisfying job is not good for you, emotionally and mentally. Now, a new study by the Ohio State University has confirmed with their research that if you are not satisfied with your job while in your 20s or 30s, this will have a long-term impact on your mental health.

According to the Ohio State University website, the impact of a bad job on your mental health will only show itself when you reach the age of 40. The study followed the 6,432 Americans who participated in the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Its main finding was that those respondents who had low job satisfaction early in their careers experienced depression, anxiety and trouble sleeping later on this their lives. These same people also scored lower when it came to traditional mental health measures.

Another finding is that those who had high job satisfaction initially in their careers but later on experienced lower job satisfaction also showed more signs of depression, sleep problems, and anxiety compared to those had continuous high job satisfaction from the onset until the present, according to Psychology Today.

‘Toxic’ Jobs

Let’s face it – you should consider yourself lucky if the first job you land in is perfect for you. In today’s world, where staying unemployed for a long period time is not practical,  it is likely that the first job you get is one that you were forced to accept because you badly need a job. You may either need the experience or the money, or both.

Most first jobs are a jump-off point to a better job. In my case, although I liked my first job as a Junior Writer for a big non-government organization, when presented with the chance to apply for a higher-paying position in another NGO, I immediately grabbed it. The position was a more challenging one, on paper, but in reality, it was one of the most toxic jobs I ever took in my life.

‘Toxic’ Work Environments

I was supposed to be an Information Officer for the NGO, which involved taking charge of information and communication needs, including dealing with media organizations. Imagine my surprise when my immediate boss assigned me unrelated tasks such as organizing events and meetings, buying gifts for board members, looking for a landscape artist and many more. I felt so useless so when the organization underwent a restructuring and my item was among those taken out, I was happy on the inside to be out of such a toxic environment.

After such an experience, I became a wary job-hunter. I chose my job applications carefully and because of this, all of the next jobs that followed brought me high to very high job satisfaction. This meant I stayed longer in the job – the longest was 13 years, which was my last job before I became a freelancer.