The Influence of Stigma Perceptions on Employees’ Claims Experiences for Psychological Injuries: Re-Examination of a Cross-Sectional Survey among Australian Police and Emergency Service Personnel

Samineh Sanatkar (), Jenn Bartlett, Samuel Harvey, Isabelle Counson and David Lawrence
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Samineh Sanatkar: Black Dog Institute, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
Jenn Bartlett: School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
Samuel Harvey: Black Dog Institute, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
Isabelle Counson: Black Dog Institute, School of Psychiatry, UNSW Sydney, Randwick, NSW 2031, Australia
David Lawrence: School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-16

Abstract: While a large body of research assessed the contribution of mental health stigma on disclosure, treatment seeking, and recovery, limited research exists seeking to identify the relative contribution of stigma beliefs on workers’ compensation claims for psychological injury. Survey data of ambulance, fire and rescue, police, and state emergency service personnel ( N = 1855, aged 45–54 years, 66.4% male) was re-examined to assesses the unique and combined associations of self-, personal, and workplace stigma with workers’ compensation claims experiences and recovery. Participants responded to self-report stigma items (predictor variables), perceived stress, fairness, and support perceptions of going through the claims process and its impact on recovery (outcome variables). Multiple regression analyses revealed that the combined stigma dimensions predicted about one fifth of the variance of claims and recovery perceptions. Organisational commitment beliefs and the self-stigma dimension of experiences with others were the two most important, albeit weak, unique predictors across outcomes. Given the small but consistent influences of organisational commitment beliefs and the self-stigma dimension of experiences with others, it seems warranted to apply workplace interventions that are looking to establish positive workplace contact and a supportive organisational culture to alleviate negative effects attributable to mental health stigma.

Keywords: first responders; workers compensation; work claims; mental health stigma; mental illness (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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