Epilepsy stigma and stigma by association in the workplace

In the first experimental study of epilepsy-based discrimination in the workplace, we examined the influence of stigmatization on the workplace outcomes of hypothetical employees who were associated with epilepsy, but who did not have epilepsy themselves (stigma by association). Participants (40 women, 16 men), acting as employers, evaluated one of six randomly assigned employee work portfolios that were identical except that the employee was either male or female and had taken leave during the past year to care for a child with either epilepsy or asthma, or for whom no leave was mentioned. They then evaluated the employee and made recommendations concerning the employee's workplace rewards (promotion, raise) and penalties (job termination). Work quality evaluation was similar across conditions. However, parents of a child with epilepsy received fewer workplace rewards and greater workplace penalties than did employees in the other conditions. Implications for mental health and antibias interventions are discussed.