Examining injured workers' experiences in worker's compensation systems and their mental health consequences from a social inequality perspective
Date Issued
2016
Date
2016
Author(s)
Chung, Pei-Hua
Abstract
In addition to physical discomforts, work-related injuries and illnesses often result in various forms of hardships, including impaired ability to work, economic hardships, and conflicts and legal disputes with employers. Workers’ psychological health conditions are likely to be worsened when social supporting systems are fragmented. This study aimed to examine the experiences of injured workers when interacting with the social systems, and the associations between the experience of occupational injury or illness and mental health. In the first part, the researcher utilized existing survey data to examine the association between the experience of occupational injuries or diseases with mental health outcomes. In the second part, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews with injured workers to understand workers’ experiences concerning employment and labor conditions before and after injury, experiences with workers’ compensation system and other social welfare systems, and their physical and psychological consequences. Methods: Mixed-methods were used in this study. For the quantitative study, data from a national survey of a representative sample of general working people of Taiwan was analyzed, consisting of 12,528 male and 8,396 female workers. A standardized questionnaire was used to obtain information regarding the experiences of occupational injuries or diseases encountered over the previous 12 months. Mental health status was measured by the Brief Symptom Rating Scale (BSRS-5). Also obtained were participants’ age, educational level, and employment grade. For the qualitative study, participants were referred by the Centers for Prevention and Treatment of Occupational Injury and Disease. In-depth interview with52 workers who had experienced occupational injuries and illnesses were conducted, including 28 males and 24 females. Among them, 15 experienced occupational injuries and 37 occupational diseases. Results: In the survey, the results showed that after controlling for age, employment grades and education level, workers who had experienced occupational injuries over the previous 12 months were at a higher risk for poor mental health (OR men 3.08, women 3.19), poor self-rated health status (OR men 5.03, women 6.23). In the qualitative study, among the 52 participants, 19 workers reported having mental health problems. Reasons for poor mental health can be categorized as the following: physical health problems, impaired work ability, economic hardships, conflicts with employer or management, difficulties in returning back to work or reaming employed, stress in social relationships, disrupted life pace, lower self-esteem, frustration in the workers’ compensation process. Conclusion: Study findings showed that workers with occupational injuries or diseases experiences multiple hardships and were at high risks for developing mental health problems. Psychosocial consequences of work-related injuries or illnesses deserve further investigation and interventions.
Subjects
occupation-related injuries
occupation-related diseases
workers’ compensation
mental health
policy
Type
thesis
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