The Impact of Job Accommodations on Mental Health-Related Stigma

Abstract

The current research examined the impact of accommodations for depression or anxiety (Study 1) and educational information (Study 2) on mental health-related stigma in the workplace. Participants read a scenario about a fictitious coworker returning to work following a leave of absence and answered items on negative stereotypes, unfairness, and emotional and behavioural responses. Scenarios varied the reason for leave [depression, anxiety, surgery] and accommodation [yes, no]. In Study 2, half of participants also read information about the employer's duty to accommodate. The results provided no evidence that accommodations or educational information influenced stigma. Rather, the results suggested that stigma towards accommodations for depression or anxiety may be the result of disclosing these mental health problems. Moreover, there was solid evidence that participants who endorsed negative stereotypes were more likely to believe that making changes for coworkers with health problems is unfair and to respond with negative emotions and behaviours.