TY - JOUR
T1 - Effectiveness of a Stigma Awareness Intervention on Reemployment of People with Mental Health Issues/Mental Illness
T2 - A Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial
AU - Janssens, K. M.E.
AU - Joosen, M. C.W.
AU - Henderson, C.
AU - Bakker, M.
AU - den Hollander, W.
AU - van Weeghel, J.
AU - Brouwers, E. P.M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2023.
PY - 2024/3
Y1 - 2024/3
N2 - Purpose: A barrier for reemployment of people with mental health issues/mental illness (MHI) is workplace stigma and discrimination. In this RCT the effectiveness of a stigma-awareness intervention addressing finding work, retaining work and decisional stress were evaluated. Methods: A cluster RCT was conducted in 8 Dutch municipal practices. Randomisation took place at practice level. Participants were unemployed people with MHI, receiving social benefits. The intervention consisted of a decision aid for workplace disclosure for participants and a 2 × 3 h stigma-awareness training for their employment specialists. Primary outcomes were measured at baseline, 3-, 6- and 12-months. Multilevel analyses, containing random intercepts of participants nested in organizations, were conducted to analyse the effects of the intervention. Results: Participants (N = 153) were randomized to an experimental (n = 76) or control group (n = 77). At six months, significantly more participants of the experimental group (51%) had found work compared to the control group (26%). At twelve months, significantly more participants of the experimental group (49%) had retained work compared to the control group (23%). Intention-to-treat analyses showed that randomization to the experimental group was associated with finding (OR(95%CI) = 7.78(1.33–45.53), p = 0.02) and retaining (OR(95%CI) = 12.15(2.81–52.63), p < 0.01) work more often at twelve months. Analyses showed that the experimental and control group did not differ in decisional stress. Conclusions: Our stigma awareness intervention was effective for finding and retaining work. As the percentage of people who found and retained work almost doubled, this suggests that on a societal level, a vast number of unemployed people could be reemployed with a relatively simple intervention. Trial Registration: The study was retrospectively registered at the Dutch Trial Register (TRN: NL7798, date: 04-06-2019).
AB - Purpose: A barrier for reemployment of people with mental health issues/mental illness (MHI) is workplace stigma and discrimination. In this RCT the effectiveness of a stigma-awareness intervention addressing finding work, retaining work and decisional stress were evaluated. Methods: A cluster RCT was conducted in 8 Dutch municipal practices. Randomisation took place at practice level. Participants were unemployed people with MHI, receiving social benefits. The intervention consisted of a decision aid for workplace disclosure for participants and a 2 × 3 h stigma-awareness training for their employment specialists. Primary outcomes were measured at baseline, 3-, 6- and 12-months. Multilevel analyses, containing random intercepts of participants nested in organizations, were conducted to analyse the effects of the intervention. Results: Participants (N = 153) were randomized to an experimental (n = 76) or control group (n = 77). At six months, significantly more participants of the experimental group (51%) had found work compared to the control group (26%). At twelve months, significantly more participants of the experimental group (49%) had retained work compared to the control group (23%). Intention-to-treat analyses showed that randomization to the experimental group was associated with finding (OR(95%CI) = 7.78(1.33–45.53), p = 0.02) and retaining (OR(95%CI) = 12.15(2.81–52.63), p < 0.01) work more often at twelve months. Analyses showed that the experimental and control group did not differ in decisional stress. Conclusions: Our stigma awareness intervention was effective for finding and retaining work. As the percentage of people who found and retained work almost doubled, this suggests that on a societal level, a vast number of unemployed people could be reemployed with a relatively simple intervention. Trial Registration: The study was retrospectively registered at the Dutch Trial Register (TRN: NL7798, date: 04-06-2019).
KW - Discrimination
KW - Employment rates
KW - Mental health issues
KW - Mental illness
KW - Stigma
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85164742544&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10926-023-10129-z
DO - 10.1007/s10926-023-10129-z
M3 - Article
C2 - 37439945
AN - SCOPUS:85164742544
SN - 1053-0487
VL - 34
SP - 87
EP - 99
JO - JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL REHABILITATION
JF - JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL REHABILITATION
IS - 1
ER -
