Nearly half of unemployed American men between 25 and 54 years of age (prime age men) may suffer from physical discomfort, depression and daily stress, according to a paper covered by Bloomberg and written by Princeton (N.J) University labor economist Alan Krueger, PhD.
In Where Have All the Workers Gone?, Dr. Kreuger, the former assistant U.S. Treasury secretary for economic policy, examines evolving trends in the declining labor force participation rate.
Here are three things to know about pain and unemployed American prime age males.
1. Of the nearly 50 percent of American prime age men absent from the labor force who reported taking pain medication the day before answering Dr. Krueger's survey, two-thirds reported using prescription pain medication like opioids. Among employed prime age men, approximately 25 percent reported using pain medication regularly.
2. Forty percent of the men surveyed by Dr. Krueger's team said pain prevents them from working a full-time job for which they are qualified. Two-thirds of men in this sample reported having a disability.
3. While prime age men as a whole expressed distress over being left out of the labor force, younger men seemed less disturbed by the proposition. Dr. Krueger found some evidence to suggest improvements in video games have made leisure more attractive as an alternative to employment to this demographic.
4. Dr. Krueger argues that his findings justify expanding ACA coverage to include measures designed to improve the health of prime age men, citing pain management interventions as having the potential to be particularly helpful.
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