A 'factory closure' type study was conducted by postal survey to asses
s the impact of the colliery closure programme on individuals. Two col
lieries were studied, one 'threatened' and one 'unthreatened'. Replies
were received from 30% of potential subjects. Miners at the threatene
d colliery had higher mean GHQ scores and reported greater alcohol con
sumption and more recent contact with their general practitioners. Thi
s study suggests that threat of unemployment and actual unemployment h
as a significant effect on psychological morbidity, potentially harmfu
l behaviour and use of general practitioners.