THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL COMPETENCE TRAINING ON SATISFACTION WITH LIFE AMONG THE UNEMPLOYED. THE ROLE OF SENSE OF COHERENCE AND SYSTEM JUSTIFICATION

Decline of life satisfaction is a common consequence of unemployment together with the negative self-view and lack of personal control. The effectiveness of the training of the social competencies in changing the sense of personal coherence, social beliefs and life satisfaction of the unemployed was probed. Eighty unemployed persons participated in a longitudinal study with a control group. Although the participants did not differ significantly at the beginning of the study, these unemployed persons who participated in the social competencies training reported after 6 months significantly higher sense of personal coherence, more positive vision of social system and enhanced life satisfaction. Unemployed from the control group after 6 months experienced a significant decline in life satisfaction, deterioration of sense of personal coherence and reported more negative vision of social system. The model of impact of social competence training on the change of life satisfaction of the unemployed being mediated by the change of the sense of personal coherence and change in system justification was tested and proved to fit the data. In conclusion, training social competence of unemployed may be crucial to prevent a decline of their life satisfaction and enhance the belief in their own abilities to cope with the stressful experience of being unemployed