One In Ten Jobless Young People Driven To Drugs Or Alcohol

Older teenagers and young adults who are out of work face poorer health and lower happiness, with one in 10 claiming that unemployment drove them to drugs or alcohol, according to new research conducted in the U.K.

The study was conducted by the U.K.-based Prince’s Trust, which provides workforce training to young people. Based on interviews with over 2,000 unemployed 16 to 25 year olds in the U.K., the study found that out-of-work young people were more likely to feel ashamed, rejected and unloved.

Young people who are or have been unemployed were asked if their joblessness had affected their life in other ways. A quarter said it caused arguments with their family and more than one in five claimed they lost the confidence to go to job interviews. More than one in ten admitted that unemployment drove them to drugs or alcohol, and one in three said they felt down or depressed.

"Unemployment has a knock-on effect on a young person's self-esteem, their emotional stability and overall wellbeing. The long and downward spiral of unemployment can also leave young people prone to more serious mental health issues, drug and alcohol addictions, homelessness or worse," said Leading economist Professor David Blanchflower in the report.

Also according to the research, one in four young people (25 per cent) who were unemployed claimed to have felt suicidal, and they were more than twice as likely to feel they have nothing to look forward to in life. They also feel less valued by the people around them and are twice as likely to claim they have lost their way in life.

Click here for more on the Prince’s Trust Youth Index 2010.