Qualitative Examination of the Experience of Perceived Injustice Following Disabling Occupational Injury

• Published in: Journal of occupational rehabilitation Vol. 34; no. 3; pp. 657 - 668
• Main Authors: Adams, Heather, MacDonald, Judy E., Castillo, Ana Nightingale, Pavilanis, Antonina, Truchon, Manon, Achille, Marie, Côté, Pierre, Sullivan, Michael J. L.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.09.2024; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Clinical Psychology; Disabled Persons - psychology; Environmental Health; Female; Health Psychology; Humans; Injury analysis; Injury prevention; Injustice; Interviews as Topic; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Occupational accidents; Occupational health; Occupational Injuries - psychology; Occupational Medicine/Industrial Medicine; Occupational safety; Orthopedics; Perception; Perceptions; Qualitative Research; Rehabilitation; Social Justice - psychology; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Disability; Undeserved suffering; Pain; Injury; Invalidation; Blame; Musculoskeletal; Perceived injustice
• ISSN: 1053-0487; 1573-3688; 1573-3688
• DOI: 10.1007/s10926-023-10154-y

Purpose The primary objective of this study was to explore individuals’ perspectives on the factors, situations or events that contributed to their perceptions of injustice following occupational injury. Materials and Methods The study sample consisted of 30 participants (18 women, 12 men) who had submitted a time-loss claim for a work-related musculoskeletal injury. Participants with elevated scores on a measure of perceived injustice were interviewed about the factors that contributed to their sense of injustice. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify the broad classes of situations or events that participants experienced as unjust in the weeks following occupational injury. Results Three dominant themes emerged from the interviews: (1) Invalidation, (2) Undeserved suffering and (3) Blame. Inductively derived subthemes reflected specific dimensions of post-injury experiences that contributed to participants’ sense of injustice. Conclusions Given that suffering and invalidating communication are potentially modifiable factors, there are grounds for optimism that intervention approaches can be developed to prevent or reduce perceptions of injustice in the aftermath of debilitating injury. The development of intervention approaches that are effective in preventing or reducing perceptions of injustice holds promise of contributing to more positive recovery outcomes in individuals who have sustained debilitating work injuries.