@article {bnh-7040, title = {Experiences of Police and Emergency Services Employees with Workers{\textquoteright} Compensation Claims for Mental Health Issues}, journal = {Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation}, year = {2020}, month = {07/2020}, pages = {1-10}, abstract = {

Purpose\ To assess employees{\textquoteright} experiences of the workers{\textquoteright} compensation claim process for psychological trauma, stress or a mental health condition sustained during the course of work in the police and emergency services sector.\ Methods\ 14,868 employees (69.4\% male, response rate = 22\%) from around Australia participated in\ Answering the Call: the Beyond Blue National Mental Health and Wellbeing Study of Police and Emergency Services, and were asked questions regarding their workers{\textquoteright} compensation experiences for mental health reasons.\ Results\ 14\% of all employees in police and emergency services organisations had made a workers{\textquoteright} compensation claim for mental health reasons. Only 8.2\% of employees making a claim had a positive experience (95\% CI 6.6{\textendash}9.8) while 70.3\% had a poor experience (95\% CI 67.6{\textendash}73.0). Two-thirds of employees who had made a claim reported that the process was unsupportive and stressful, and over half reported that it had an overall negative impact on their recovery. Employees with poor overall support from their managers and those who perceived negative stigma about mental health in their workplace were more likely to report poor experiences.\ Conclusions\ The workers{\textquoteright} compensation process is perceived negatively by most police and emergency services employees who have experience with it, and a majority found that it negatively impacted on their recovery. Ways to reform the system to better support employees experiencing significant functional impairments related to mental health issues should be urgently considered.

}, keywords = {emergency responders, mental health, police, worker{\textquoteright}s compensation}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10926-020-09909-8}, url = {https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10926-020-09909-8}, author = {Michael Kyron and Wavne Rikkers and Patrice O{\textquoteright}Brien and Jennifer Bartlett and David Lawrence} } @article {bnh-7041, title = {Prevalence and predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviours among Australian police and emergency services employees}, journal = { Australian \& New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry}, year = {2020}, month = {07/2020}, abstract = {

Objective:

This study presents rates of suicide thoughts and behaviours of police and emergency services personnel around Australia. In addition, it examines personal (i.e. mental health, substance use) and working environment risk and protective factors.

Method:

A stratified random sample of personnel from 33 Australian emergency services organisations were invited to participate in a mental health and wellbeing survey. In total, 14,868 Australian ambulance, fire and rescue, police and state emergency services employees participated and self-reported any suicidal thoughts, plans and/or attempts in the 12 months prior to the survey or at any stage in their life. Logistic regressions assessed factors associated with suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

Results:

Employees reported notably higher rates of suicidal thoughts and plans than the general Australian adult population, but not attempts. Male, single/divorced, non-heterosexual or longer-serving employees reported higher rates of suicidal thoughts and behaviours across each sector. Perceptions of stigma regarding mental health conditions from others in the workplace, negative impact of work on one{\textquoteright}s private life and low meaning of work were associated with suicidal thoughts, while bullying significantly differentiated who planned and attempted suicide from those who reported suicidal thoughts only. Higher resilience and social support were associated with lower suicidal thoughts, while intermittent explosive anger and illegal drug use were associated with higher rates of suicidal thoughts. Post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms significantly differentiated who planned suicide, while misuse of prescription drugs and psychological distress differentiated who attempted suicide from those who only reported suicidal thoughts.

Conclusion:

Amid inherently stressful occupations, it is important that workplaces function in a way that supports their personnel. Access to mental health services should be promoted and readily available to personnel.

}, keywords = {Ambulance, depression, firefighters, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867420937774}, url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0004867420937774}, author = {Michael Kyron and Wavne Rikkers and Andrew Page and Patrice O{\textquoteright}Brien and Jennifer Bartlett and Anthony LaMontagne and David Lawrence} }