Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder in the South African mining industry and outcomes of liability claims submitted to Rand Mutual Assurance Company

Abstract

Mine accidents are traumatic stressors with a potential to cause severe mental health problems like post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of the mining population with PTSD due to mine accidents; and estimate the prevalence, sources and outcomes of PTSD claims reported by the South African mining sector to Rand Mutual Assurance (RMA) for compensation benefi ts. An analysis of PTSD data reported over fi ve years (2006-2010) to RMA injury claims database was conducted. Four hundred and fi fty one PTSD claims were reported by the mines, (65.9%) were from the gold mines. The majority were for workers who were males (87.4%), Black (77.4%), operators (84.2%), and the victims of traumatic mine accidents (87.8%). Overall PTSD prevalence was 0.09%, with 0.085 among males and 0.143 among females. More than two-thirds (67.4%) of the claims were compensated by RMA. Promotion of workers’ mental health is essential.