The Psycho-social Effects of Part-time Employment among Economically Disadvantaged Adolescents

• Main Authors: Yen-Ping Liu, 劉燕萍
• Other Authors: Yu-Wen Chen
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2017
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/5pbe32

博士 === 國立臺灣大學 === 社會工作學研究所 === 105 === Most economically-disadvantaged adolescents have to work part-time while in school. The main reason for this situation is to fulfill the economic needs of their families as well as expenses for education. The purpose of working is just for living rather than improving the employability of the youth in the future. Past studies have indicated two different perspectives regarding the effects of part-time work on the psycho-social development among adolescents: work benefits and work consequences. The “work benefit” perspective assumes that work experiences in adolescence would benefit future career development and employability. While the “work consequence” perspective assumes that adolescents have to take on an adult role prematurely while working part-time, and which also contributes to a risk factor to psycho-social development of adolescents. This study was designed as a longitudinal secondary data analysis and based on a framework of child work career by Woodbead (2007), including initiation into work, working lives, and the end of childhood. Data were from the Taiwan Database of Children and Youth in Poverty: Taiwan Panel Study of Children and Youth（TPSCY）, which was conducted from 2009 to 2013. This study attempted to examine the effects of associated factors (e.g., work intensity, age of first part-time work, and work trajectory) with part-time work in adolescence on psycho-social development in the emerging adulthood. Findings indicated that: (1) Family support was related to whether economically disadvantaged adolescents had to work part-time. The lower levels of family support they received, the higher likelihood they did part-time work in early adolescence (14-15 years old). (2) Work intensity would have an impact on adolescents’ smoking and drinking behaviors. Those who worked in the high-intensity group were more likely to have smoking and drinking behaviors than those who worked in the moderate-intensity group. (3) The age of first part-time work among adolescents was found to be related to their psycho-social development. Those who started working in early adolescence had higher levels of depression and were more likely to have smoking and drinking behaviors, compared to those who never worked in adolescence. Compared to those who never worked in adolescence, those who worked in early adolescence were more likely to have smoking and drinking behaviors in their early adulthood. Compared to the work experience in adolescence, the work experience in emerging adulthood was more likely to benefit the development of future orientation. (4) From the work trajectory perspective, those who had been working since early adolescence were more likely to have smoking and drinking behaviors; while those who had been working since middle adolescence would have a better performance in the development of future orientation. Findings from the current study pointed out that working part-time in early adolescence would contribute to a higher risk of the psycho-social development among adolescents. We should especially pay attention to the economically disadvantaged adolescents who have to do part-time jobs during school-year. Recommendations are made for service providers and policy makers to advocate for these adolescents, with a special emphasis on their rights of education and employment; to help them receiving adequate youth employment services, school social work services, and family support; and to address risk factors to their psycho-social development while under the pressure of studying and working.