Martina McGrath

University of Melbourne

Thesis Title

Out of the closet, dressed in shame and labels

Supervisor

Professor Jane Pirkis (primary) Professor Nicola Reavley and Dr Karolina Krysinkska (co-superviors)

Research Questions

Why do many working adults conceal, delay or only partially disclose a lived experience of mental ill health or suicide-distress in workplaces and what role do factors relating to stigma, self-stigma, shame or discrimination play in affecting disclosure?

Whose research influences you?

Prof Patrick Corrigan, Dr Lindsay Sheehan, Dr Natalie Oxele, Dr Laura Frey, Prof Nicola Reavley, Prof Anthony Jorm

Note: the first four were my initial key sources. I am now learning more about other researchers (including Australian researchers) whose work is also starting to influence my research (particularly those who have conducted researched on suicide prevention topics relating to suicide disclosure

Are you a lived-experience researcher?

Yes

If so, how does lived or consumer experience shape your research?

1) It is shaping my research as someone who has lived with, navigated and learned to manage a concealable identity in workplaces and will therefore be using an ethnographic approach.

2) It is helping to inform the reframing of the research question to look for barriers and possible health equity issues that may help to address disclosure issues that exist in workplaces such as public stigma, self-stigma, shame, workplace discrimination and understanding how the receivers of workplace disclosures respond.