Articles

Author: Robert Migliore

In a recent study published by The Australian Psychological Society, an interesting theme emerged from a case review that may indicate a vulnerability factor in relation to WorkCover claims for psychological injury. Amongst the cases reviewed the average age of claimants was 41 to 45 years, followed by 50 years and older. This could suggest that the effective management of individuals in the second half of their careers may be imperative in the quest to minimise psychological injury.

Return to work processes aimed at tackling the ageing Australian workforce and the psychosocial aspects of claimants in this age bracket are crucial to ensure speedy recovery and a reduction in premiums. Given that the average cost of a psychological injury claim has escalated in recent years to $27,798 per claim compared with $18,913 for a physical injury claim, and the average time off work has increased to a high of 21 weeks compared to eight weeks for a physical injury claim (WorkCover NSW Statistical Bulletin 2004/05).

Individual differences also affect how people cope with work stress. For example: Two people doing the same job could react in opposite ways to a shared occupational stressor.

A specialist in workplace mental health, Dr Peter Cotton presented at our June RTW Interest group a range of factors employers need to be aware of when identifying, preventing and managing psychological injuries. Dr Peter Cotton says that individual personality factors impact on psychological injuries (a preferred term for stress claims). Dr Cotton says that psychologists working in the area are increasingly assessing the role of personality, an issue that has been neglected in the past. Of the five recognised personality factors—openness, agreeableness, extraversion, conscientiousness and neuroticism (also known as ‘emotionality’), the latter two play a significant role in compensation claims.

Dr Cotton also says that people who are conscientious are over represented in musculoskeletal and occupational injuries. They are inclined to exhibit somatic symptoms, and because they experience increased peripheral muscle tension, they are prone to more wear and tear from repetitive movements.

“That’s often why, for example, you can have ten people doing the same job, but only one will get the overuse syndrome”, Dr Cotton says.

These individuals are likely to submit claims when the damage is done, so interventions include trying to identify them before reaching this point, and increasing their awareness of potential risks.

According to Dr Cotton, emotionality is the other personality factor that is over represented in individuals seeking psychological injury compensation, especially for long-term claims. Individuals with high levels of trait emotionality tend to experience negative emotions in response to life events, and think more negatively about themselves and the world. Individuals with this trait are also more likely to carry personal stressors into the workplace and vice versa.

“In response to the same sort of stressors, people with higher trait emotionality are likely to become more distressed, more anxious or more depressed”, Dr Cotton said.

You can visit the Actevate website to read Dr. Cotton’s presentation on ‘Stress and Bullying at the Workplace’.