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Related Experiment Videos

First depressed, then discriminated against?

Stijn Baert1, Sarah De Visschere2, Koen Schoors3

  • 1Sherppa-Study Hive for Economic Research and Public Policy Analysis, Ghent University, Sint-Pietersplein 6, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium; Research Foundation - Flanders, Egmontstraat 5, B-1000 Brussels, Belgium; Department of Sociology, University of Antwerp, Sint-Jacobsstraat 2, B-2000 Antwerp, Belgium; IRES-Institut de Recherches Économiques et Sociales, Université catholique de Louvain, 3 Place Montesquieu, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium; IZA-Institute for the Study of Labor, Schaumburg-Lippe-Straße 5-9, D-53113 Bonn, Germany.

Social Science & Medicine (1982)
|July 3, 2016
PubMed
Summary

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Disclosing past depression significantly reduces job interview chances by 34%, similar to unexplained unemployment. Stigma effects were notably driven by male candidates in this study.

Area of Science:

  • Socioeconomic impacts of mental health
  • Labor economics
  • Psychiatry

Background:

  • Major depression affects a significant portion of the European population annually.
  • The stigma associated with mental illness can negatively impact individuals' long-term life outcomes.
  • Hiring discrimination based on disclosed health conditions is a concern in the labor market.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the extent of hiring discrimination resulting from the disclosure of past depression.
  • To compare the stigma effect of disclosed depression with unexplained unemployment in job applications.
  • To investigate potential gender heterogeneity in the stigma associated with depression and unemployment.

Main Methods:

  • A field experiment involving 288 trios of fictitious job applications sent to real vacancies in Belgium (May-July 2015).
Keywords:
BelgiumDepressionField experimentsHealthHiring discrimination

Related Experiment Videos

  • Each trio included candidates with recent unemployment, disclosed former depression, or unexplained unemployment.
  • The study measured the difference in job interview invitation rates across these disclosure conditions.

    • Main Results:

    • Disclosing a year of inactivity due to former depression decreased job interview invitations by approximately 34% compared to recent unemployment.
    • The stigma associated with a year of depression was not significantly greater than that of a year of unexplained unemployment.
    • Evidence suggests that the observed stigmas of depression and unemployment were primarily driven by male-simulated candidate profiles.

    Conclusions:

    • Disclosure of past depression can lead to significant hiring discrimination.
    • The stigma of depression in employment contexts may be comparable to unexplained unemployment.
    • Further research is warranted to explore gender differences in the stigma surrounding depression and other health impairments in the workplace.