It's not 'just a headache': The lived experience of migraines in the workplace

Title

Identifier

d_2009_2013:58effee34bc5:11207

identifier

11592

Creator

Pollich, Lisa,

Contributor

Barbara Katz Rothman

Date

2012

Language

English

Publisher

City University of New York.

Subject

Abstract

This research explores the self-reported experiences of people with migraines in the workplace by examining individuals' own accounts. Specifically, I analyze: the employment experiences, perceptions, and workplace challenges of people with migraine headaches. Using a qualitative approach, this study examines various aspects of migraines from the individual employee's perspective in order to explore different topics as they relate to the workplace. In particular, the study concentrates on factors surrounding employee disclosure of migraines at the workplace.;Migraine is a serious neurological disorder. However, migraines are often not viewed as the legitimate neurological condition that they are. Migraines, while typically not a visible condition, are an intermittently disabling illness. Since migraines are, for the most part, a hidden condition (not visible to others), in order for an employee to receive workplace support, it requires that other individuals know about and understand the employee's condition. If the employee chooses not to tell those at work about his/her migraines, the employee might not receive support. The choice to disclose a hidden illness at work may be complex and influenced by many factors. There is limited scholarly research in the area of sociology that pertains to migraines in the workplace.;The social construction of illness is a major perspective in medical sociology. This study presents a unique examination of individuals with a hidden disability, migraine headaches, in the workplace. This exploratory study investigates the impact of migraines on the individual's work experiences, the consequences of migraines on their work (such as attendance, productivity, work performance), how work affects migraines, the processes involved in disclosure, the factors that contributed to their decision whether or not to disclose, their experiences with workplace accommodations, challenges faced at work, perceptions of stigma, and examines how a condition such as migraines affects one's perceived self-identity in the workplace, and other related topics. I explored the different accounts that study participants offered to make sense of their workplace encounters in various situations and how they assigned meanings to their interactions in the workplace. Using a social construction frame to interpret and analyze their accounts, I examined the lived experiences of migraines in the workplace.;I conducted qualitative interviews with 40 individuals who get migraines, from various ages, educational backgrounds, employment settings, and working in different occupations, in a range of titles, from across the United States.;This study presents several findings. The majority of individuals in this study cited stressful work environments, or other factors in the work environment, as contributing to migraines. Overwhelmingly, the theme that I heard most often, regardless of occupation, and regardless of the specific topic being discussed, was the lack of understanding in the workplace regarding what migraines really are and how migraines are different from a 'regular headache'. A related theme was that of people at work not taking migraines seriously. These attitudes most likely originate from lack of knowledge. I provide examples that illustrated dramatic stories of long term career impact, individuals who made life-changing decisions, and others who had other long-term opportunities that were affected by migraines. Migraines impacted not only people's careers, but also interfered with goals and plans.;I examine interview data to analyze how the participants managed the issue of disclosing their disability in the workplace. I examined the underlying factors behind the decision whether or not to disclose. I found that there were a range of factors that went into the decision to disclose, to whom to disclose, and even how much to disclose. I examined the factors that each individual took into consideration to make the 'disclosure decision.' Some participants took many factors into consideration, including a complex weighing of risks vs. benefits, whereas for others it was more of a natural decision. The majority of people who chose not to disclose, did so for reasons relating to stigma. A condition like migraines can be very challenging to an individual's identity.;My selection of migraine as the condition for this research was a strategic choice aimed at providing an answer as to how disclosure of a hidden disability is handled at the workplace. This research places this topic within the range of different theoretical approaches to the study of hidden disability and medical sociology. By studying people's own accounts of their experiences in the workplace, this analysis reveals the subjective experience of illness. The issues of disclosure, stigma, embodiment and identity, disability, health/illness, discrimination, accommodations, and the individuals' perceptions, insights, and experiences, all fall within the realm of medical sociology and sociology of disability.;The sociological study of migraines in the workplace has implications for these fields. For the field of disability studies, it can provide insight into the perspectives of persons with a hidden condition such as migraine. For the study of medical sociology, it focuses on the perceptions of people with a hidden illness on their everyday situations, which helps ground our conclusions empirically. This work serves to raise awareness of migraine as a legitimate neurological disorder. My study demonstrates the burden that migraine placed on peoples' careers, employment status, and ability to work. For many, work life was a struggle to maintain the worker identity they wanted to project.;Aside from its contribution within the field, my study offers valuable information to family members, employers, policy makers, and practitioners who want insights relating to work. This exploratory empirical analysis contributes to the literature in medical sociology, disability studies, and occupational sociology, by including the first- person accounts and narratives of individuals with migraines. I explore understanding of the experience of migraines in the workplace within the wider scope of the lived experience of an invisible, episodic disability. This study offers a useful report through which the personal accounts and lived experiences of people with migraines at the workplace can be examined.

Type

dissertation

Source

2009_2013.csv

degree

Ph.D.

Program

Sociology

Item