Vicarious Experiences of Unemployment Scale Development: Relationships to Mental Health and Help-Seeking Among Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Vicarious experiences of unemployment (VUE), or having a primary caretaker such as a parent or legal guardian who is unemployed, have been demonstrated to impact adolescent and young adult physical and mental health, career decision-making, and educational development. This study describes the development of a new measure, the VUE Scale designed to tap the nature of stigma and struggle associated with an experience of vicarious unemployment (VU). Following results from pilot testing, 395 undergraduate students participated in the study. Results demonstrated preliminary support for the psychometric properties of the VUE. Consistent with hypotheses, results also indicated that more substantive experiences of VU related significantly and positively to heightened levels of depressive, anxiety, and stress, as well as to lower levels of self-esteem and social support. We also explored the relationship between VUE and help-seeking intentions and attitudes. These exploratory findings suggested that more impactful VU experiences relate to less positive formal help-seeking attitudes and intentions. Limitations and future directions for practice and research are described.