Is It #okaytosay I Have Anxiety and Depression? Evaluations of Job Applicants Who Disclose Mental Health Problems on LinkedIn

• Published in: Journal of business and psychology 2024-06, Vol.39 (3), p.779-795
• Main Authors: McChesney, Jenna, Foster, Lori
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anxiety; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Business and Management; Community and Environmental Psychology; Industrial and Organizational Psychology; Mental depression; Mental health; Original Paper; Personality and Social Psychology; Psychology; Social networks; Social Sciences
• ISSN: 0889-3268; 1573-353X
• DOI: 10.1007/s10869-023-09907-6

Mental health challenges are stigmatized in society and at work, yet people are increasingly posting about their experiences of anxiety and depression on social media. Drawing from the expectancy-confirmation framework in the stereotype literature by Darley and Gross (1983), this experiment examined whether stigma associated with anxiety and depression induces initial expectancies about the traits and behavioral tendencies of applicants who post about their anxiety and depression on LinkedIn. We then tested whether these expectancies are strengthened via confirmation bias when the applicant has the chance to perform in an interview. Findings from 409 individuals with hiring experience revealed that, regardless of an applicant gender and evaluator age, when applicants write about their experiences with anxiety and depression on LinkedIn, it affects evaluators’ impressions of their work-related personality traits (i.e., emotional stability, conscientiousness) but not expectations about their work performance (i.e., task performance, organizational citizenship behaviors). Unexpectedly, evaluators’ initial impressions of the applicant’s emotional stability were slightly enhanced, rather than worsened, when listening to a recording of the applicant’s job interview, but perceptions of conscientiousness remained unchanged. Overall, this study suggests that using LinkedIn to screen job candidates may introduce personal information about applicants that can be difficult to ignore later. While people are encouraged to share their experiences with anxiety and depression on social media, doing so can impact their professional image.