Violence/Antisocial behavior

Individual-level studies

Among studies that have investigated the effect of job loss on violence, only one
meets our standard of longitudinal data. Using longitudinal data from the Epidemiologic
Catchment Area (ECA) survey and measuring the outcome with the DIS,
Catalano, Dooley, Novaco, Wilson, and Hough found that suffering a layoff

increased the likelihood of violence among people not violent at initial interview. However, remaining employed in an industry experiencing high
rates of layoffs reduced violent behavior. Finally, they found strong evidence of
selection, as violent people were nearly 16 times more likely to be laid off than
nonviolent people.

Ecological-Level Studies
Several ecological studies have used time-series methods to explore the relation
between weekly unemployment insurance claims and antisocial behavior, using civil
commitment for danger to others as the outcome. The results indicate a quadratic
relation, providing evidence of provocation effects (i.e., an increase in the incidence
of violence following increased layoffs) and then inhibition effects (i.e., reduced
incidence of violence as layoffs continue to rise) for both men and women in San
Francisco, as well as men in Pennsylvania, with a three-week lag. These
findings were replicated in Florida for men with a one- to three-week lag.
Researchers have also hypothesized that child maltreatment responds to economic
conditions. Ecological studies have found associations between increased
child abuse, neglect, and foster home placements and economic conditions. Catalano,
Lind, Rosenblatt, and Attkisson conducted a time-series study of the
relation between the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in California and the
monthly count of foster home placements in the state and identified both provocation
and inhibition effects. These results imply that rising unemployment increases the
likelihood of foster home placement, but then the likelihood peaks and declines as unemployment continues to rise. Using state-level fixed effects methods, Paxson
found that a decrease in state welfare benefit levels was associated with an
increased risk of foster home placements. Gillam found positive correlations
between male unemployment and physical abuse of children at the local level, using
an individual-level case-cohort study. Another study also found that children whose
mothers were unemployed for at least 21 weeks in the previous year experienced
increased odds of being hospitalized for abuse or neglect.

Conclusions and Limitations
Both the individual and ecological studies suggest that economic contraction increases
the risk of violence among those becoming unemployed. However, evidence
also exists that the inhibition effect may also be at work at high levels of labor
market contraction. Therefore, the net effect of economic contraction on violence
appears smaller than the extrapolated effect on job losers. Future studies should
investigate the effects of economic contraction on other types of violence, such
as domestic violence or arrests for assault, using longitudinal designs. Additional
clarification of the mediators (e.g., stress, changes in social networks or family
structure, alcohol use) of this relation would help advance the field.