Abstract
BackgroundMental health screening in the workplace aims to identify employees who are becoming symptomatic, in order to provide timely support and evidence-based interventions to those affected. Given the stigma associated with mental illness, accurate disclosure of mental health symptoms cannot be assumed. The present study sought to investigate factors associated with the accurate reporting of mental health symptoms amongst police officers.MethodsA total of 90 serving police officers completed identical mental health screening surveys, one administered by the employer and the other anonymously by an independent organisation. Responses were then linked to compare differences in the number and severity of mental health symptoms reported on each questionnaire.ResultsComparisons of matched self-report scores indicated that employees under-reported symptoms of mental health disorders when completing screening administered by their employer, with only 76.3% of symptoms declared. Under-reporting occurred regardless of gender and symptom type. Less senior staff (p = 0.05) and those with the most severe post-traumatic stress disorder and common mental disorder symptoms (p = 0.008) were significantly more likely to under-report symptoms.ConclusionsEmployer-administered mental health screening is not able to accurately capture all mental health symptoms amongst first responders. The fact that the severity of symptoms predicted the level of under-reporting means that simple changes to cut-off values cannot correct this problem.
Highlights
Mental health screening in the workplace aims to identify employees who are becoming symptomatic, in order to provide timely support and evidence-based interventions to those affected
While the issue of delayed or otherwise deficient helpseeking for mental disorders is not contentious, the possible role of workplace mental health screening in addressing the problem has been actively debated over many years [4, 5]
Research has consistently found that first responders are more likely than the general population to experience psychological distress as a result of their work [8,9,10], and that they are less likely to seek professional help [11, 12]. Given their cumulative exposure to trauma alongside the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other disorders, first responders are seen as an ideal group to receive regular mental health screening
Summary
Mental health screening in the workplace aims to identify employees who are becoming symptomatic, in order to provide timely support and evidence-based interventions to those affected. Research has consistently found that first responders are more likely than the general population to experience psychological distress as a result of their work [8,9,10], and that they are less likely to seek professional help [11, 12]. Given their cumulative exposure to trauma alongside the prevalence of PTSD and other disorders, first responders are seen as an ideal group to receive regular mental health screening. The lack of evidence regarding a positive impact of screening in other high-risk trauma-exposed groups, such as the military, has raised questions about the effectiveness of mental health screening where the risk is high, but rates of help-seeking are low [14]
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