Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

LIVE: Thursday 27th June 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
Join our expert panel to discover why you need to understand the drivers of non-adherence in your patients, and how you can optimize medication adherence in your clinics to drastically improve patient outcomes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation
Published in: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation 2/2023

Open Access 14-11-2022

Workplace Mental Health Disclosure, Sustainable Employability and Well-Being at Work: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Military Personnel with Mental Illness

Authors: Rebecca Bogaers, Elbert Geuze, Jaap van Weeghel, Fenna Leijten, Dike van de Mheen, Nicolas Rüsch, Andrea Rozema, Evelien Brouwers

Published in: Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation | Issue 2/2023

Login to get access

Abstract

Purpose Disclosure of mental illness to a supervisor can have positive (e.g. supervisor support) and negative consequences (e.g. stigma). However, research on the association between disclosure and sustainable employability and well-being at work is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the disclosure decision (yes/no), experiences with the decision (positive/negative) and sustainable employment and well-being at work among military personnel with mental illness (N = 323). Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted. Descriptive and regression (linear and ordinal) analyses were performed. Comparisons were made between those with positive and negative disclosure experiences. Results Disclosure decision (yes/no) was not significantly associated with any of the measures of sustainable employability and well-being at work. However, positive disclosure experiences were significantly associated with higher scores on almost all measures of sustainable employability and well-being at work. Those with negative disclosure experiences reported significantly more shame (Mpos = 2.42, Mneg = 2.78, p < .05) and discrimination (Mpos = 1.70, Mneg = 2.84, p < .001). Those with a positive disclosure experience, reported significantly more supervisor support (Mpos = 3.20, Mneg = 1.94, p < .001). Conclusion We did not find evidence that the disclosure decision itself is related to measures of sustainable employment and well-being at work. In contrast, how participants had experienced their (non-)disclosure decision was significantly related to almost all measures. This emphasizes the importance of the work environments reactions to disclosure and mental illness in the workplace. Future research and interventions should focus on increasing the likelihood of positive disclosure experiences through creating a more inclusive work environment, with more supervisor support and less stigma.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Hazelzet E, et al. Effectiveness of interventions to promote sustainable employability: a systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019;16(11):1985.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
2.
van Casteren PA, et al. How can wellbeing at work and sustainable employability of gifted workers be enhanced? A qualitative study from a capability approach perspective. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1):1–10.
3.
Parker M, et al. Population-based estimates of healthy working life expectancy in England at age 50 years: analysis of data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Lancet Public Health. 2020;5(7):e395–e403.PubMedCrossRef
4.
Kwok L. Labor shortage: a critical reflection and a call for industry-academia collaboration. Int J Contemp Hosp Manag 2022
5.
Kelliher C, Richardson J, Boiarintseva G. All of work? All of life? Reconceptualising work-life balance for the 21st century. Hum Resour Manag J. 2019;29(2):97–112.CrossRef
6.
Agustine TD, Nawangsari LC. The effect of compensation and work loads towards intension of turnover with work satisfaction as a variable mediation in clinic employees of PT Nayaka Era Husada Branch of Bekasi. Int J Innov Sci Res Technol. 2020;5(7):1304–1312.CrossRef
7.
Yu J, Park J, Hyun SS. Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on employees’ work stress, well-being, mental health, organizational citizenship behavior, and employee-customer identification. J Hosp Market Manag. 2021;30(5):529–548.
8.
van der Klink JJ, et al. Sustainable employability—definition, conceptualization, and implications: a perspective based on the capability approach. Scand J Work Environ Health 2016:71–79.
9.
Gürbüz S, et al. Measuring sustainable employability: psychometric properties of the capability set for work questionnaire. BMC Public Health. 2022;22(1):1–10.CrossRef
10.
Cloostermans L, et al. The effectiveness of interventions for ageing workers on (early) retirement, work ability and productivity: a systematic review. Int Arch Occup Environ Health. 2015;88(5):521–532.PubMedCrossRef
11.
Bakker AB, Schaufeli WB. Positive organizational behavior: engaged employees in flourishing organizations. New York: Wiley Online Library; 2008. p. 147–154.
12.
Demerouti E, et al. Job resources as contributors to wellbeing. Routledge Companion Wellbeing Work 2017:269–283.
13.
Guidetti G, et al. Concerns about change and employee wellbeing: the moderating role of social support. J Work Learn. 2018;30(3):216–228.CrossRef
14.
Leijten FR, et al. The influence of chronic health problems and work-related factors on loss of paid employment among older workers. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2015;69(11):1058–1065.PubMedCrossRef
15.
Brouwers EP. Social stigma is an underestimated contributing factor to unemployment in people with mental illness or mental health issues: position paper and future directions. BMC Psychol. 2020;8(1):1–7.CrossRef
16.
Van Beukering I, et al. In what ways does health related stigma affect sustainable employment and well-being at work? A systematic review. J Occup Rehabil 2021:1–15.
17.
Janssens KM, et al. Line managers’ hiring intentions regarding people with mental health problems: a cross-sectional study on workplace stigma. Occup Environ Med. 2021;78(8):593–599.PubMedCrossRef
18.
Van Eerd D, et al. Support for depression in the workplace: perspectives of employees, managers, and OHS personnel. Occup Health Sci. 2021;5(3):307–343.CrossRef
19.
Steel Z, et al. The global prevalence of common mental disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis 1980–2013. Int J Epidemiol. 2014;43(2):476–493.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
20.
Jones AM. Disclosure of mental illness in the workplace: a literature review. Am J Psychiatric Rehabil. 2011;14(3):212–229.CrossRef
21.
Brohan E, et al. Systematic review of beliefs, behaviours and influencing factors associated with disclosure of a mental health problem in the workplace. BMC Psychiatry. 2012;12(1):1–14.CrossRef
22.
Brouwers E, et al. To disclose or not to disclose: a multi-stakeholder focus group study on mental health issues in the work environment. J Occup Rehabil 2019:1–9.
23.
Rüsch N, et al. Attitudes toward disclosing a mental health problem and reemployment: a longitudinal study. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2018;206(5):383–385.PubMedCrossRef
24.
Bogaers R, et al. Decision (not) to disclose mental health conditions or substance abuse in the work environment: a multiperspective focus group study within the military. BMJ Open. 2021;11(10):e049370.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
25.
26.
27.
28.
Toth KE, Dewa CS. Employee decision-making about disclosure of a mental disorder at work. J Occup Rehabil. 2014;24(4):732–746.PubMedCrossRef
29.
Berkley RA, Beard R, Daus CS. The emotional context of disclosing a concealable stigmatized identity: a conceptual model. Hum Resour Manag Rev. 2019;29(3):428–445.
30.
Chaudoir SR, Fisher JD. The disclosure processes model: understanding disclosure decision making and postdisclosure outcomes among people living with a concealable stigmatized identity. Psychol Bull. 2010;136(2):236.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
31.
32.
Coleman S, et al. Stigma-related barriers and facilitators to help seeking for mental health issues in the armed forces: a systematic review and thematic synthesis of qualitative literature. Psychol Med. 2017;47(11):1880–1892.PubMedCrossRef
33.
Rüsch N, et al. Attitudes towards disclosing a mental illness among German soldiers and their comrades. Psychiatry Res. 2017;258:200–206.PubMedCrossRef
34.
35.
Von Elm E, et al. The strengthening the reporting of observational studies in epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies. Bull World Health Organ. 2007;85:867–872.CrossRef
36.
Gorgievski MJ, et al. Betrouwbaarheid en Validiteit van de Nederlandse vertaling van de Work Design Questionnaire. Gedrag & Organisatie 2016. 29(3).
37.
Koenig HG, et al. Screening for moral injury: the moral injury symptom scale–military version short form. Mil Med. 2018;183(11–12):e659–e665.PubMedCrossRef
38.
Ali R, et al. Ultra-rapid screening for substance-use disorders: the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST-Lite). Drug Alcohol Depend. 2013;132(1–2):352–361.PubMedCrossRef
39.
Bradley KA, et al. AUDIT-C as a brief screen for alcohol misuse in primary care. Alcoholism. 2007;31(7):1208–1217.PubMedCrossRef
40.
Weathers FW, et al. The PTSD checklist for dsm-5 (pcl-5). Scale available from the National Center for PTSD at www.​ptsd.​va.​gov 2013. 10.
41.
42.
43.
De Zwart B, Frings-Dresen M, Van Duivenbooden J. Test–retest reliability of the Work Ability Index questionnaire. Occup Med. 2002;52(4):177–181.CrossRef
44.
Buunk-Werkhoven YA, et al. Is there burnout related to work among Dutch dental hygienists?: Combining studies by using the UBOS and the UWES. Int J Dental Hygiene. 2020;18(4):422–431.CrossRef
45.
Bartels AL, Peterson SJ, Reina CS. Understanding well-being at work: development and validation of the eudaimonic workplace well-being scale. PLoS ONE. 2019;14(4): e0215957.PubMedPubMedCentralCrossRef
46.
Van den Bosch R, Taris TW. Authenticity at work: development and validation of an individual authenticity measure at work. J Happiness Stud. 2014;15(1):1–18.CrossRef
47.
McDowell C, Fossey E. Workplace accommodations for people with mental illness: a scoping review. J Occup Rehabil. 2015;25(1):197–206.PubMedCrossRef
48.
Gayed A, et al. Effectiveness of training workplace managers to understand and support the mental health needs of employees: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Occup Environ Med. 2018;75(6):462–470.PubMedCrossRef
49.
Soeters JL, Winslow DJ, Weibull A. Military culture. In: Handbook of the sociology of the military. Springer; 2006. p. 237–254.CrossRef
50.
51.
Henderson C, et al. A decision aid to assist decisions on disclosure of mental health status to an employer: protocol for the CORAL exploratory randomised controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry. 2012;12(1):1–9.CrossRef
52.
Janssens K, et al. Evaluation of an intervention to support decisions on disclosure in the employment setting (DECIDES): study protocol of a longitudinal cluster-randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2020;21(1):1–10.CrossRef
53.
Na JJ, et al. The efficacy of interventions on cognitive, behavioral, and affective public stigma around mental illness: a systematic meta-analytic review. Stigma Health. 2022;7(2):127.CrossRef
54.
Yoshimura Y, Bakolis I, Henderson C. Psychiatric diagnosis and other predictors of experienced and anticipated workplace discrimination and concealment of mental illness among mental health service users in England. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2018;53(10):1099–1109.PubMedCrossRef
55.
Metadata
Title
Workplace Mental Health Disclosure, Sustainable Employability and Well-Being at Work: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Military Personnel with Mental Illness
Authors
Rebecca Bogaers
Elbert Geuze
Jaap van Weeghel
Fenna Leijten
Dike van de Mheen
Nicolas Rüsch
Andrea Rozema
Evelien Brouwers
Publication date
14-11-2022
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation / Issue 2/2023
Print ISSN: 1053-0487
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3688
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-022-10083-2

Other articles of this Issue 2/2023

Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation 2/2023 Go to the issue

OriginalPaper

Exploring the Health and Economic Burden Among Truck Drivers in Australia: A Health Economic Modelling Study

OriginalPaper

Return to Work for People with Common Mental Disorders: Insights into the Implementation of a Collaborative Program in a Specialized Mental Health Hospital

OriginalPaper

Does Consulting an Occupational Medicine Specialist Decrease Time to Return to Work Among Total Knee Arthroplasty Patients? A 12-Month Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study

OriginalPaper

Identification and Characterisation of Trajectories of Sickness Absence Due to Musculoskeletal Pain: A 1-Year Population-based Study

OriginalPaper

The Influence of Teleworking in a Pandemic Context on the Work Experience of Individuals with Physical Disabilities: A Quebec Qualitative Study

OriginalPaper

A Multi-component Intervention (NEXpro) Reduces Neck Pain-Related Work Productivity Loss: A Randomized Controlled Trial Among Swiss Office Workers