May 17, 2024
Dissertation Title: “Mental Health and Psychological Well-Being at Work” by Afaf Khalid, Candidate PhD Management.
Date: Friday, May 17, 2024
Time: 3:00 pm
Venue: Faculty Lounge (4th floor, SDSB building)
Zoom link: https://lums-edu-pk.zoom.us/j/97231496965?pwd=MlRhb2ZYR3F3M0xPL1A1Zjlzb…
Meeting ID: 972 3149 6965
Passcode: 122242
Dissertation Defence Committee
Dr. Jawad Syed - Supervisor & Chair
Dr. Faiza Ali – Member SDSB
Dr. Muhammad Abdur Rahman Malik – Member SDSB
Dr. Moeen Naseer Butt – Member SDSB
Dr. Suleman Shahid ‐ Member LUMS
Dr. Shehla Arifeen - External Examiner LSE
Abstract
This thesis delves into the multi-layered issues and experiences surrounding mental health and well-being in the workplace. Globally, individuals grappling with mental health challenges often face a myriad of obstacles, such as discrimination and exclusion from employment opportunities. This thesis contends that these issues are multifaceted in nature. Utilising a relational framework and a salutogenic perspective, it aims to scrutinize the complexities of mental health and well-being within the workplace. The thesis conducts a comprehensive review of the various factors that potentially influence the mental health and well-being of employees. Subsequently, it conducts in-depth interviews with individuals with schizophrenia (SCZ), healthcare professionals, family members/caregivers, NGO representatives, and employer. This approach helps to identify and analyse the multilevel influences of societal (social stigma, inadequate government policies, and economic conditions), organisational (workplace support, job suitability, and design) and individual factors (self-stigma, personal motivation and resilience, family and social support and realization of illness) on work and career of individuals suffering from schizophrenia. It also highlights the interconnectedness among these factors at each level of analysis.
Furthermore, the thesis proposes a framework that explicates the underlying process for effectively integrating individuals with SCZ into the workplace. It highlights the empowering influences of both general resistance resources and specific resistance resources in bolstering the self-efficacy beliefs of individuals with SCZ, thereby motivating them to assert agency into their lives. The finding suggest that the employment prospects and career trajectories of individuals with SCZ are shaped by a multitude of factors beyond their cognitive condition, and that the provision of adequate support mechanisms can significantly enhance their capacity to engage in meaningful work.