Though furloughed workers know that, eventually, they will be reinstated with back pay, even temporary situations like the federal shutdown can have “scarring” effects on well-being — especially for those who didn’t expect the uncertainty, said Sarah Burgard, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Michigan and a researcher on the relationship between work and health. “An unprecedented shutdown like this could increase their sense of precariousness or fears that additional shutdowns and uncertainty could happen again,” said Burgard in an email to HuffPost. “This could yield some of the same stressful concerns about financial stability that perceptions of an impending job loss could spark.”

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