Psychological circumstances of economic recession

Psychological circumstances of economic recession I. Solcova, A. Slezackova, E. Frankova, E. Greenglass The paper brings the preliminary results of the study (N = 87), the goal of which was to describe the psychological factors applying in the contexts of contemporary economic recession. The economic recession was operationalized by the data of unemployment rate at the time of study. Its impact was assessed by methods designated for capturing the financial strain. These economic variables show the closest relations to mental states. The strongest relation was found between perceived economic threat and the rate of fatigue, hostility and anxiety (POMS). Cognitive factors or personality characteristics applied in the context of economic variables only marginally and social (transactional) characteristics (social support) did not apply at all. The cognitive factors (ruminative thoughts), personality characteristics (self-esteem, proactive coping) and social characteristics (social support) however applied in the relation to job variables (job satisfaction and employability). The possibility of generalization of the results of the study is limited by the scope and heterogeneity of the research sample.