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Background Psychological trauma in the workplace is gaining recognition as an important cause of workplace disability but little is known about the workers who are affected. The Psychological Trauma Program (PTP) in Toronto (Canada) is a specialized provincial worker's compensation board assessment program for workers with psychological sequelae of workplace trauma.Aims To characterize workers presenting to the PTP in terms of demographic, occupational, traumatic exposure and diagnostic variables.Methods A retrospective secondary analysis of all workers referred to the PTP for assessment within 1 year of traumatic event between 1999 and 2006.Results Five hundred and thiry-one referred workers were included in the study. Most workers were working-age male (76%), married (65%) and labourers (43%). Nearly half were born outside Canada. Post-traumatic stress disorder was the primary diagnosis in 44%. Fifty-eight percent had one or more secondary diagnoses. For just over half of the workers, the traumatic event resulted in a permanent physical impairment.Conclusions Specialist referral may be indicated for workers experiencing prolonged recovery following workplace trauma. Male workers and those with co-morbidities or permanent injuries may be more likely to require referral. Individualized treatment approaches are likely important; however, more research is needed to guide future interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Traumatic events often occur in workplace settings and can lead to stress reactions such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). One such workplace is the transportation industry, where employees are often exposed to trauma. However, extant research shows that a considerable proportion of people with PTSD do not seek specialty mental health treatment., Objective: In this qualitative study, we sought to better understand the experience of a traumatic event at work and the barriers and motivating factors for seeking mental health treatment., Participants: Twenty-nine Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) employees participated in a one-on-one interview, 18 soon after the traumatic event and 11 after entering a specialized treatment program., Methods: Semi-structured, one-on-one interviews were conducting using qualitative description and analyzed using content analysis., Results: Participants described emotional responses after the trauma such as guilt, anger, disbelief as particularly difficult, and explained that barriers to seeking help included the overwhelming amount and timing of paperwork related to the incident as well as negative interactions with management. Motivating factors included family and peer support, as well as financial and emotional issues which persuaded some to seek help., Conclusions: Seeking treatment is a multifactorial process. Implications and recommendations for the organization are discussed.