Effect of Learned Helplessness Level on Life Satisfaction: A Research on Unemployed University Graduate Women Abstract

Learned helplessness refers to a situation that occurs in line with the belief that a negative event will be repeated consecutively and that the person has no control over these events, and reflects a situation that causes loss of motivation and a decrease in positive feelings towards life. In line with gender roles, the negative situations that women encounter both at the beginning of working life and on their career path cause the feeling of learned helplessness to be experienced quite intensely. Accordingly, the main purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between learned helplessness and life satisfaction in the context of unemployed university graduate women. This research, using the survey method, was conducted with the participation of 260 university graduates and unemployed women residing in Hatay province. As a result of the analyzes, while a moderate and negative relationship was found between learned helplessness and life satisfaction, it was concluded that the level of learned helplessness has a statistically significant negative effect on the level of life satisfaction.