The scarring effect of unemployment throughout adulthood on psychological distress at age 50: Estimates controlling for early adulthood distress and childhood psychological factors

► Examines the long-run psychological effects of unemployment in a prospective British birth cohort. ► Tests the association between total duration of unemployment over a 34 year period and midlife psychological distress. ► Finds that intelligence and emotional problems at age 11 predict unemployment and psychological distress at age 50. ► Shows persistent psychological scarring from unemployment that cannot be attributed to early-life psychological problems.