Why Employees with Depression Experience Workplaces as More Unfair

What is it about?

This study examines whether employees diagnosed with major depression perceive organizational justice and injustice differently from non-depressed employees. Using a comparative design with clinically diagnosed outpatients and matched non-depressed workers in Kuwait, the study shows that depressed employees report significantly higher levels of perceived organizational injustice and lower levels of perceived justice across all four justice dimensions (distributive, procedural, interpersonal, and informational). Importantly, both groups distinguish between justice and injustice events, but depressed employees are systematically more sensitive to injustice, regardless of its type.

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Photo by Stefano Pollio on Unsplash

Photo by Stefano Pollio on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Conceptual contribution: Demonstrates that justice and injustice are not interchangeable psychological experiences, reinforcing the need to measure both constructs separately. Clinical relevance: Shows that depression is associated with heightened sensitivity to unfair treatment, which has implications for employee well-being and mental health at work. Organizational insight: Suggests that employees’ psychological states shape how workplace practices are interpreted, not merely how practices are enacted. Cultural value: One of the first studies using clinically diagnosed Arab employees, extending organizational justice research beyond Western samples.

Perspectives