In clinical settings, it has long been recognized that workplace accidents can lead to significant psychological difficulties. Post-traumatic stress, depression, intrusive ruminations — all are part of the daily reality for many mental health professionals working with injured employees. Yet in the field of organizational psychology, this connection remains surprisingly underexplored.
A meta-analysis published in Personnel Psychology by Granger and Turner aims precisely to fill this gap. By analyzing the results of 139 studies, the authors show that there is a significant bidirectional relationship between workplace injuries and mental health: individuals with psychological symptoms are more likely to be injured, and those who are injured are more likely to later develop clinical symptoms. It’s not a revolutionary finding, but it is a useful reminder. More importantly, it’s a rigorous attempt to build a bridge between two scientific worlds that rarely meet.
The article succeeds in quantifying what many practitioners observe in the field, shedding light on the psychological mechanisms that may explain this relationship. Mental distress can reduce alertness, impair coordination, and increase vulnerability to injury. The reverse is just as true: pain, loss of professional role, isolation, or humiliation linked to an injury can destabilize psychological balance, especially when the organizational environment offers little support. The proposed model goes beyond a simple correlational link, highlighting the complex interactions between cognition, pain, emotion, and the work context.
This is important work, but still an early step. It remains far too rare for organizational studies to integrate validated clinical tools or engage directly with concepts from psychopathology. Conversely, clinicians are seldom exposed to the organizational literature documenting the effects of safety climate, organizational justice, or leadership on employees’ psychological health. This siloed approach hinders a comprehensive understanding of the trajectory of individuals in difficulty, particularly in rehabilitation or return-to-work contexts.