SPECIAL FEATURE
STUDY
The Need for Satisfactory
Information & Support
A STUDY ON THE IMPACTS ON FAMILIES OF TRAUMATIC WORKPLACE DEATHS
By LYNDA R. MATTHEWS, MICHAEL G. QUINLAN and PHILIP BOHLE
T
he 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.
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www.amsj.com.au / Summer 2020 / AUST R A L AS I A N M I N E SA F E T Y J O U R N A L
