Abstract
Drawing on separate strands of research documenting the psychological consequences of (a) precarious employment and other challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and (b) ableism, this study incorporates both into an examination of disability-based differences in the joint significance of discrimination and work precarity during the pandemic for mental health. Analyses utilizing data from a regional survey of people with and without disabilities in the Intermountain West (N = 2,012) provide evidence that precarious employment, greater discrimination, and disability independently predict depressive symptoms. Further, in the context of greater discrimination, more precarious employment is found to have greater significance for people with disabilities compared to those who are not currently disabled. These findings challenge us to think about how we engage in research concerning ableism and macro-level stressors, and underscore the role of power structures and positionality in shaping the psychological impact of employment challenges experienced during the pandemic.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 167-187 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Work and Occupations |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© The Author(s) 2022.
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research through a Switzer Fellowship.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Institute of Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) |
Keywords
- COVID-19
- ableism
- disability
- discrimination
- mental health
- precarious employment
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
- Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management
