Psychological aspects of employment instability during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychological aspects that accompany employment instability because of the COVID-19 quarantine (lockdown) policy were investigated. Two hundred ninety-three Israeli participants completed a Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, a Distress Thermometer, and a Perceived Stress Scale. People placed on furlough (unpaid leave of absence) by their employers demonstrated significantly higher distress (M = 5.34) than those who were unemployed prior to the pandemic (M = 3.79). The implications and coping modes with these results are detailed herein.