Abstract
The impact of traumatic workplace death on bereaved families, including their mental health and well-being, has rarely been systematically examined. This study aimed to document the rates and key correlates of probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and prolonged grief disorder (PGD) in family members following a workplace injury fatality. The hidden nature of the target population necessitated outreach recruitment techniques, including the use of social media, newspaper articles, radio interviews, and contact with major family support organizations. Data were collected using a cross-sectional design and international online survey. The PCL-C (PTSD), the PHQ-8 (MDD), and PG-13 (PGD) were used to measure mental health disorders. All are well-established self-report measures with strong psychometric qualities. Participants were from Australia (62%), Canada (17%), the USA (16%), and the UK (5%). The majority were females (89.9%), reflecting the gender distribution of traumatic workplace deaths (over 90% of fatalities are male). Most were partners/spouses (38.5%) or parents (35%) and over half (64%) were next of kin to the deceased worker. Most deaths occurred in the industries that regularly account for more than 70 percent of all industrial deaths—construction, manufacturing, transport, and agriculture forestry and fishing. At a mean of 6.40 years (SD = 5.78) post-death, 61 percent of participants had probable PTSD, 44 percent had probable MDD, and 43 percent had probable PGD. Logistic regressions indicated that a longer time since the death reduced the risk of having each disorder. Being next of kin and having a self-reported mental health history increased the risk of having MDD. Of the related information and support variables, having satisfactory support from family, support from a person to help navigate the post-death formalities, and satisfactory information about the death were associated with a decreased risk of probable PTSD, MDD, and PGD, respectively. The findings highlight the potential magnitude of the problem and the need for satisfactory information and support for bereaved families.
Highlights
Global trends released annually by the International Labor Organization reveal work is a significant source of death and bereavement
The findings indicate that family members across the four countries are vulnerable to high levels of probable MHCs and that these conditions are associated with various demographic, information, and support variables
The rates of major depressive disorder (MDD) and prolonged grief disorder (PGD) are comparable to those reported by family members bereaved by violent events such as homicide, suicide and accidents [17, 19,20,21]
Summary
Global trends released annually by the International Labor Organization reveal work is a significant source of death and bereavement. Approximately 6,400 people die from work-related causes [1], and each year, 300,000–400,000 people die from traumatic work injuries [2]. These estimates provide a “false picture of the scope of the problem” due to the extensive underreporting of fatal injuries and diseases [3]. The majority of all workplace deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries where occupational health and safety (OHS) is often not even recognized as a public health priority [4], and OHS-related conventions have yet to be adopted [5]. Workplace deaths continue to occur in rich countries with longstanding regulatory prevention. The impact of traumatic workplace death on families remains largely unexplored
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