Evaluation of a workplace technology for mental health assessment: A meaning-making process
Highlights
► Automated assessment of mental health in the workplace is an effective mental health care delivery. ► Computers are considered confidential and non-judgmental and are acceptable in the workplace. ► Employers should reassure employees of confidentiality to achieve sustained participation.
Section snippets
Introduction and background
Mental health disorders affect nearly 30% of American adults each year (Kessler, Kessler, Chiu, Demler, & Walters, 2005). Adults with a mental health disorders most commonly suffer from recurring illness, while half suffer from two or more disorders (Kessler et al., 2005). The negative impacts of undiagnosed, untreated, or mismanaged mental health disorders include family instability, lack of work productivity (Harnois and Gabriel, 2000, Kessler et al., 1997, Kessler and Frank, 1997) and
Theoretical framework
The qualitative evaluation used a phenomenological theoretical framework which is an examination of the lived experience or elucidation of the essence of a phenomenon (Creswell, 2007), in this case the users’ experience with the system. Moutakas’ empirical, transcendental phenomenological insight (Moustakas, 1994) was considered the most appropriate for the evaluation. Moustakas’ approach consists of: (1) identifying a phenomenon, (2) bracketing, (removing) one’s experiences from the data
Results
Two major themes and a few minor themes emerged from the data:
Discussion
An unanticipated but significant finding of this evaluation study was brought to light when participants described the effects of mental health screening questions on their perceptions and attitudes regarding their symptoms. Study participants reported that the mental health screening questions led to a meaningful awareness and understanding of their symptoms as well as creating a sense of validation and relief. This was a thought-provoking and novel phenomenon that we felt needed to be further
Acknowledgment
This research was funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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