Public attitudes towards individuals with bipolar disorder in the workplace

ABSTRACT

This study examined public attitudes toward working alongside someone with Bipolar Disorder (BD). Participants (N = 618) randomized to a vignette completed the Attitudes toward Individuals with BD in the Workplace Scale assessing attitudes toward social acceptability, competency, reliability, advancement, and job demotion/loss. Multiple linear regressions found individuals with BD at work are viewed more positively when experiencing hypomania compared to depression (ps < .05). Additional factors associated with more positive attitudes included previous experience with BD and one’s own personal experience having BD (ps < .05). These findings may inform efforts to improve work outcomes for individuals with BD.

KEYWORDS:

• Bipolar disorder
• public attitudes
• employment
• workplace
• negative attitudes

Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the University Research Grant at Wayne State University. We thank Caitlin Brown and Emily Farhat for their support on this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University Research Grant, Office of the Provost at Wayne State University. [141938].