The effect of environmental and psychological coping resources on unemployed adults' well-being

Gowan and Gatewood's (1997) theory of coping with job loss provided a framework for studying how individuals cope with the stress of unemployment. Previous empirical evidence identified social support and financial resources as predictors of unemployed adults' coping outcomes. McKee-Ryan, Song, Wanberg, and Kinicki (2005), however, noted the need for further research to better understand the environmental and psychological coping resources used by unemployed adults. Savickas (2005) hypothesized that individuals who endorse greater amounts of adaptable thinking about their careers will also report a greater sense of well-being during career transitions. Thus, the present study examined how environmental and psychological coping resources are related to unemployed adults' well-being. In particular, this study tested whether career adaptability mediated the relationships between environmental coping resources (i.e., social support and financial resources) and well-being. Using a sample of 207 unemployed adults, it was hypothesized that career adaptability would mediate the relationship between social support and well-being and between financial resources and well-being. The SEM analyses indicated problems with the fit of the hypothesized measurement model, and thus the hypotheses were unable to be tested. Limitations of the current study's findings are discussed to inform future research and theory building. In particular, characteristics of the current sample, measurement problems, and the possible mismatch between this study's sample and Gowan and Gatewood's (1997) coping with job loss theory are discussed