Work integration of people with severe mental illness in social enterprises

Lack of employment and short job tenure are still a major issue for people that suffer of a severe mental illness. One of the main issues in the rationale for this thesis was the opportunity to deeply investigate and better understand why getting and sustaining a job for this population is so difficult and challenging. In particular, we focused on individual and environmental factors associated with the work integration of people with mental illness employed in Italian social enterprises and that can be significant determinants of job tenure for this group. The thesis outlines in the first two chapters the presentation of the survey development and design of the study, an overview of the historical perspective on mental health and of related Italian legislation, as well as a description of psychiatric and vocational services for people with severe mental illness. In particular, a special attention is given to the presentation of the social enterprise model. After that, a review of previous research on determinants of job tenure for people with severe mental illness is presented. The main results of each study conducted are presented in the results part, which is a collection of papers. In particular, Study 1 is designed with the main aim of establishing the profiles of employees that suffer of a severe mental illness working in Italian social enterprises, as well as to investigate potential differences across people with different psychiatric diagnosis on psycho-social variables linked to the person and linked to the work. Study 2 proposes the validation of two scales, the Motivation to Find a Job scale in a sample of mentally ill workers enrolled in supported employment programs located in Canada, and the Motivation to Keep a Job scale among people with severe mental illness employed in Italian social enterprises. In Study 3 we investigate the relationship between individual characteristics, features of the workplace environment and job satisfaction in people with severe mental illness. In addition, it is our intent to explore the spectrum of workplace accommodations available for employees with mental disabilities working in social enterprises, and the impact of those accommodations on job satisfaction, taking into account the individual characteristics of these employees. Study 4 aims at examine the validity of work engagement in people with severe mental illness

The influence of multiculturalism and assimilation on work-related outcomes: differences between ethnic minority and majority groups of workers

This study aims at acquiring knowledge on how to manage ethnic diversity at work in order to promote work-outcomes in minority and majority groups of workers. We tested a model on how assimilation and multiculturalism, endorsed at an organizational level, predict job satisfaction and intention to quit through a mediation role played by the identification of workers with both the organization and their ethnic group simultaneously (i.e., dual identity). We hypothesized that the indirect effects of multiculturalism on work outcomes via dual identity are stronger for minority and those of assimilation are stronger for majority. Data came from 261 employees who responded to an online survey. 77 were of foreign origin (minority group) and 184 were of Belgian origin (majority group). Both assimilation and multiculturalism relate positively to work-related outcomes for both groups. However, multiculturalism through dual identity has the most beneficial outcomes for workers of the minority group. Our findings highlight the need to take ethnic and identity issues in account when studying work outcomes in culturally diverse organizations

Trauma and Gambling : A Scoping Review of Qualitative Research

Both gambling-related problems and trauma have long been associated with substantial costs for individuals, their families, and society. Existing reviews of research on the relationship between trauma and gambling have thus far been limited to quantitative work. A scoping review of published peer-reviewed qualitative research was conducted to synthesize existing research concerning the relationship between trauma and gambling. Relevant articles were identified through database searches in Ovid MEDLINE, APA PsycNET, PubMed, Scopus, PTSDpubs, and through hand sorting methods. English and French articles that comprised original qualitative research with results exploring the relationship between trauma and gambling were included. A total of 22 articles published between 2007 and 2022 were included in this review. Four major themes emerged during the narrative and thematic synthesis of the articles: (1) gambling as a consequence of trauma, (2) trauma as a consequence of gambling behavior, (3) cyclical relationship of trauma and gambling, and (4) healing from trauma and gambling-related harms. Future research would benefit from the use of qualitative methods in exploring the complex relationships between trauma and gambling

Age, Mental Disorders and Work Design Factors

The chapter proposes to introduce an intertwined issue related to age and mental disorders at work. Both are timely and important topics that need further understanding in order to identify successful work interventions and strategies. In particular, work accommodations have been studied to help the work integration of people with mental disorders. However, previous research indicates age differences in work-related aspects (e.g., work design characteristics impact younger and older workers differently). This conceptual contribution aims to critically review and summarize the existing literature on age differences in the effect of work-related design factors on mental disorders and employment outcomes. We organized its structure dividing the work-related design factors between physical and psychosocial factors. Additionally, we attempted to identify possible work accommodations and interventions to promote the work integration and work participation of differently aged workers with mental disorders

Strategies to Fight Stigma toward People with Mental Disorders: Perspectives from Different Stakeholders

This study aims to provide a more complete and exhaustive perspective on the whole range of potential strategies to fight stigma by considering the perspectives of different stakeholders. Delegates to a Canadian conference were invited to participate in a survey that focused on stigma, from which the responses to the following question were analyzed: tell us briefly what you do to reduce prejudice and stigma toward people with a diagnosis of mental disorder? From 253 participants, 15 categories of strategies to fight stigma were identified from the verbatim (e.g., sharing/encouraging disclosure). These categories fell under six main themes: education, contact, protestation, person centered, working on recovery and social inclusion, and reflexive consciousness. The occurrence of these themes was different among stakeholders (clinical, organizational, and experiential knowledge). For example, people with mental disorders (experiential knowledge) often mentioned contact and person centered strategies, while mental health professionals (clinical knowledge) preferred education and working on recovery and social inclusion strategies. The results from this study highlight the need to pay more attention to the concept of disclosure of mental disorders in the process for de-stigmatization. Future studies are needed to assess the impact of the emerging strategies to fight stigma in the community

Stereotypes of Volunteers and Nonprofit Organizations’ Professionalization: A Two-Study Article.

Competence and warmth are two fundamental stereotypical dimensions that frame people’s social judgements. Since we currently lack evidence about how the volunteering workforce is socially perceived, this paper aims to (1) understand which stereotypes are associated with volunteers, and (2) determine whether these perceptions vary as a result of contextual changes (i.e., professionalization) that have recently characterized nonprofit organizations (NPOs). Two empirical survey-based studies were conducted in Belgium, one comprising data collected from a general population sample (N = 233), and the other from volunteers (N = 128). Study 1 displayed volunteers being perceived by the general population as warmer rather than competent. Study 2 found that ingroup warmth perceptions in a volunteers’ sample decreased as NPOs became progressively more business-like. Combined, these two studies illustrate that warmth is at the heart of the volunteers’ role and show that the increasing professionalization of NPOs affects this perception

Reducing perceived stigma: Work integration of people with severe mental disorders in Italian social enterprise

Objective: People with mental illnesses face stigma that hinders their full integration into society. Work is a major determinant of social inclusion, however, people with mental disorders have fewer opportunities to work. Emerging evidence suggests that social enterprises help disadvantaged people with their work integration process. The purpose of this study is to enhance our understanding about how perceptions of stigma can be decreased for people with mental disorders throughout their work experience in a social enterprise. Method: Using a longitudinal study design, 310 individuals with mental disorders employed in Italian social enterprises completed a battery of questionnaires on individual (e.g., severity of symptoms; occupational self-efficacy) and environmental (e.g., social support; organizational constraints) variables. Of the 223 individuals potentially eligible at the 12-month follow up, 139 completed a battery of questionnaires on social and working skills, perceived work productivity and perceived stigma. Path analyses were used to test a model delineating how people with mental disorders working in social enterprises improve social and work outcomes (i.e., motivation, skills and productivity), and reduce the perception of being stigmatized. Results: Working in a social enterprise enhances working social skills, which leads to a perception of higher productivity and, consequently, the perception of being discriminated against and stigmatized is reduced. Conclusions and Implications for Practice: Social enterprise provides a context in which people with mental disorders reach a sense of work-related and social competence. This sense of competence helps them to reduce perceived stigma, which is a crucial step toward social inclusion