Cognition and Attitudes toward Psychological Problems among Middle Managers in Small and Medium-sized Workplaces

정신질환에 대한 중소규모 사업장 중간관리자의 인식 및 태도

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify attitudes of middle managers toward employees with psychological problems and to determine factors affecting their attitudes. Methods: A questionnaire with Community Attitudes Toward Mentally Ill (CAMI) scales was administered to 161 middle managers working in small and medium-sized enterprises based in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province. Results: There are four separate subscales on the CAMI. Mean score for authoritarianism was $35.0{\pm}4.4$, benevolence $23.0{\pm}4.8$, social restrictiveness $32.3{\pm}4.9$ and community mental health ideology $27.2{\pm}5.1$ According to multiple regression analysis, middle managers with no experience of learning mental illness through mass media or higher levels of depression symptom were more authoritative and less benevolent towards employees with psychological problems. The experience of meeting a patient with mental problem contribute to positive attitudes toward people with mental illnesses in social restrictiveness subscale and community mental health ideology subscale among CAMI. Conclusion: This study suggests that experience of having patients with mental problems and information on psychological problems will have great influence on attitudes of middle managers toward employees with psychological problems. It might be important to help middle manager manage their depression because their depression also affects their attitudes toward employees with psychological problems.