Publication Spotlight: Dr. Blake A. Allan
At APF, our mission is to invest in innovative research and applications that prioritize people and their wellbeing. We believe that every research project we fund has the potential to advance the field of psychology and meaningfully impact peoples’ lives.
We’re proud to showcase the success of APF-funded research through our Publication Spotlight. The journey from initial research to publication is a major achievement, representing years of hard work and dedication. These publications mark significant milestones in our recipients’ careers and highlight the impact of APF’s support.
Each publication that has been supported by APF represents a step forward in our mission. From receiving initial APF funding to sharing these important findings with the world, these projects will shape future research, guide best practices and inform policy, allowing psychology to broaden its impact on the world.
Dr. Blake A. Allan
2017 Visionary Grant
“Underemployment and Mental Health: A Longitudinal Study”
Article
“Underemployment and Mental Health: A Longitudinal Study”
Journal
Journal of Counseling Psychology
Abstract
Research has established that certain forms of underemployment relate to poorer mental health, but no studies have examined which components of underemployment are uniquely related to mental health over time. To address this gap in the literature, we longitudinally examined how multiple subjective underemployment constructs (i.e., underpayment, status, involuntary temporary work, field, poverty-wage employment, involuntary part-time work, and overqualification) predicted symptoms of distress in a large sample of working adults in four waves over 9 months. We also identified group differences in underemployment. Results revealed that involuntary part-time work, involuntary temporary work, and poverty-wage employment fluctuated with distress over the course of the study, but only involuntary temporary work predicted greater symptoms of distress over time. Group differences also revealed that gender, age, level of education, and subjective social class predicted various forms of subjective underemployment. Findings encourage researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to consider involuntary temporary work as potentially harmful to mental health and inform the future examination of mental health inequities for marginalized groups.
Allan, B. A., Kim, T., & Shein, B. (2022). Underemployment and mental health: A longitudinal study. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 69(5), 578–588. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000610
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Topics: Mental Health Publication Spotlight
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