ADP Project Justification Template (PJT)

Effective Date 01/30/2023

Student Information

First Name: Grant Last Name: Stephen

ADP Working Title: Workplace discrimination towards African Americans with PTSD and its
effect on work performance and culture

Draft Version: Phase II Version 43 Date: 2/20/20232/27/2023

RES 8920/8922 Instructor Review

☐ Approved; may advance to RES 8922

☐ Approved; may advance to ADP coursework following successful completion of RES 8922, ADP
Planning II.

☐ Changes requested; must revise and resubmit. Resubmission must include a change matrix that
includes the instructor's comments and how each comment was addressed in the revision.

Beginning on the following page, please complete the following sections in this template, using black, 12-
point font. Please address all required content:
 Justification Statement
 Purpose Statement
 Importance of the Project
 Proposed Project Approach
 Over-arching Study Question(s)/Statement of Project Intent
 References (formatted according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association, 7th edition)
Justification Statement:
Provide sufficient background of the topic area and its relationship to the discipline or field of
study that supports the need for, or opportunity to, conduct the proposed project. Describe the
issue, situation, problem, or opportunity that reinforces the need to implement the study,
supported by recent citations from the literature. Briefly explain how the intended outcomes of
the project could be used to advance knowledge, understanding, or practice in the discipline or
field of study. (target: 2 to 3 paragraphs)

Workplace discrimination is a challenge that has reverberated through time as it

stems from intolerance for human differences. African Americans have a long history of

facing intolerance to very high extremes, and mental illnesses like PTSD can exacerbate the

negative experience of workplace discrimination. Historically, PTSD was officially diagnosed as

a separate disorder and included in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual

(DSM-III) of mental disorders as a mental illness in 1980, including two pages of descriptive

information relative to its diagnostic criteria and subtypes;; PTSD was then categorized as an

anxiety disorder and could be attributed to adults and children (Ericsen, 1970). Mekawi et

al. (2020) found that PTSD among African Americans was more severe than among

Caucasians and other groups. Additionally, Jackson et al. (2020) found that PTSD worsens

when such a group as African Americans face discrimination at work. Furthermore,

Wofford et al. (2019) found that such discrimination impedes their work performance due

to the resulting challenges like a greater issue of depression.

It is valuable to examine workplace discrimination for such a minority group

because it hinders their employability. Moreover, Williams and Neville (2021) found that

such discrimination causes fear and job insecurity. To that degree, the American

Psychiatric Association (APA, 2019) found that mental health stigma remained a consistent

challenge in the workplace and acknowledged the significant role of stigma against mental

health in workplaces where employees often dread termination or retaliation, thus hiding
their condition and avoiding mental healthcare. Therefore, as a result, inequality, such as

disparate and mistreatment, likely begins during the initial hiring and onboarding process

and continues throughout the employment duration due to racial and personal

discrimination – any other intolerance also fits the definition of discrimination (EEOC,

2022).

The generalizable potential of this project will draw an alliance of marginalization as

necessary to alleviate the discriminatory challenges to assist in an outcome that provides

recommendations for human resource professionals to improve anti-discriminatory practices that

would safeguard the mental wellness of African American employees facing such measures in

the workplace. For African Americans with PTSD, discrimination in the workplace can make it

even more challenging to manage their symptoms and maintain their employment. According to

Jaegers et al. (2019), discrimination in the workplace towards African Americans can have

negative implications on their mental health, job satisfaction, and overall well-being

Tomaskovic-Devey and McCann (2021) found that the discrimination race-based charge

rate, which is the number of total charges that reflects the number of individual charges filed for

African Americans and the disabled, is much higher than for other racial groups. Wherein

according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC, 2021), discrimination

towards the African American population has increased steadily in the past two decades to over

20,908 race-based incidents in the US in 2021, with 1.5% having reasonable cause, 70.4%

having no reasonable cause, 0.5% reaching successful conciliation, 15.2%, 8% is settled, 5.7%

having withdrawal with some benefits to the complainants, 14.4% having administrative

closure, and a total of 9% successful conciliations. The cases are valued at $99.3 million in costs
(EEOC, 2022). The agency also noted that the data percentages might sometimes total less than

100% due to its rounding during calculations (EEOC, 2022).

Purpose Statement:
Provide a specific, accurate synopsis of the overall purpose of the project. Align the Purpose
Statement to the Justification Statement. In one concise paragraph, succinctly describe the focus,
project approach, scope, and intended outcomes of the study. (target: 1 paragraph)

The purpose of this systematic literature review is to examine existing literature about

how workplace discrimination affects the work performance and culture of African American

employees with PTSD. A focal point of the review will highlight discrimination against African

American employees, causing self-isolation from workplace social and organizational events.

Gray (2019) found that racial discrimination in the workplace stigmatizes and tends to isolate

employees from coworkers or discourage participation in organizational functions. These actions

lead to tTherefore, the final intended outcome of this SLR which will be recommendations for

employers' executive administration as human resource professionals and managers to improve

develop better anti-discriminatory practices that would safeguard the mental wellness of African

American minorities.

Importance of the Project:

Briefly describe the importance of the proposed project, including how the project represents a
unique approach to the topic, how results may contribute to theory, knowledge, and/or practice in
the discipline, and the implications of the study to scholars and practitioners. Identify any
knowledge gaps to be addressed by the proposed project. (target: 2 to 3 paragraphs)

The importance of this systematic literature review of workplace discrimination against

The importance of this systematic literature review of workplace discrimination against African

Americans with PTSD is crucial because it addresses a significant and understudied

problem+African Americans with PTSD is are crucial because it addresses a significant and
understudied problem. For example, according to a study by Williams et al. (2020), African

Americans with PTSD encounter a higher discrimination burden at work, leading to

poorer mental health and reduced employability. Such challenges are critical as they

directly impact the well-being of a large group of people and might be generalizable to

minorities with similar workplace challenges. The project is unique because it specifically

focuses on the intersection of PTSD, a severe anxiety disorder, and race. While there is a

growing body of literature on PTSD in the workplace, there is a dearth of research

explicitly examining the experiences of African American employees with PTSD. This

review aims to fill this gap by synthesizing this population’s literature.

The project findings may contribute to improving workplace anti-discrimination

practices by identifying the specific ways in which discrimination affects African American

employees with PTSD and the impact of such discrimination on work outcomes, such as

retention rates, absenteeism, and an increase in imposed disciplinary incidents. By

understanding the specific mechanisms through which discrimination affects this

population, employers and managers can develop targeted interventions to address

discrimination and promote the mental wellness of African American employees with

PTSD. According to a study by Kirkinis et al (2021), targeted interventions are more likely

to reduce workplace discrimination and improve mental health outcomes among minority

employees.

Proposed Project Approach:

Briefly describe the approach for the proposed project, including how the project will be
conceptualized, organized, and implemented, and discuss how the proposed project will reflect
accumulated learning from the student’s academic program. Discuss any proposed data
collection methodologies and instrumentation, as well as the study population, as appropriate.
Describe how project outcomes will be achieved. (target: 2 to 3 paragraphs)
 The purpose of this systematic literature review is to examine existing literature about

how workplace discrimination affects the work performance and culture of African American

employees with PTSD. A focal point causing self-isolation from social and organizational

events. The systematic review will include existing stablished studies and articles that will help

establish an up-to-date understanding of the state of the scholarly discourse, research, and

gaps in this knowledge area. It will also be conceptualized by conducting an extensive

systematic review of existing research on workplace discrimination through resources such

as post-graduate theses, dissertations, conference proceedings, and reports on the main

subject matter data core issues.

To complete this systematic literature review, an inclusion-exclusion protocol to

determine what resources are most relevant and appropriate to include will focus on sources

published in the past five years with high direct relevance to workplace discrimination effects on

minorities, especially African Americans; theories, practices, and other relevant insights to

justify the approach. Through this approach, secondary data from existing research studies,

articles, and other evidence that aligns with executing this project will be used to address the

problem of workplace discrimination towards African Americans with PTSD, and how it affects

work performance and culture,

In formalizing the more appropriate and relevant method to collect data, an

organizational approach to the existing research will be used to synthesize material with specific

inclusion and exclusion criteria via databases and external resources, including PsycINFO,

PubMed, JSTOR, SQL, and nonSQL databases via PRISMA, and Google Scholar. In addition,

an approach such as this is also recommended to be systematic by Dixon-Woods et al. (2021).

 To conduct this review, the inclusion criteria will undergo systematic scrutiny using

PRISMA to establish their contribution to the core matter. It will entail thoroughly searching for

relevant resources in such databases and external sources as PsycINFO, PubMed, JSTOR, SQL,

and nonSQL databases. use of PRISMA, and Google Scholar. The process will also include

inclusion-exclusion criteria focusing on sources published in the past five years which have high

direct relevance to workplace discrimination effects on minorities, especially African Americans;

theories, practices, and other relevant insights to justify the approach. In addition, an approach

such as this is also recommended to be systematic by Dixon-Woods et al. (2021).

Over-arching Study Question(s)/Statement of Project Intent:

Present the over-arching study question(s) or statement of project intent to be addressed,
consistent with the proposed Purpose Statement and project approach. If hypotheses will be
tested, identify the specific quantitative research questions and hypotheses, as well. (target: 1
paragraph)

The following questions will be addressed throughout this project:

 How do workplace discrimination and PTSD among African American employees

affect culture and impede work performance?

 Which approaches or techniques have been most effective in reducing and improving the
long-term effects of discrimination on work performance outcomes, such as productivity,
retention rates, and absenteeism?

Why are these approaches most effective?

 What are would be best-practice recommendations for contributing to improving
workplace anti-discrimination practices?

References:
List and cite a minimum of 10 sources that support and reinforce the justification of the project.
Ensure all references are listed according to guidelines in the Publication Manual of the
American Psychological Association, 7th edition.
Burns, E., & Green, K. E. C. (2019). Academic librarians' experiences and perceptions on

mental illness stigma and the workplace. College & Research Libraries. Retrieved January

20, 2023, from https://crl.acrl.org/index.php/crl/article/view/18158/20291

Campos, S. (2022, January 21). Black employees at U.S. Mint feel marginalized and threatened,

report says. NewsBreak. Retrieved October 6, 2022, from

https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2492254572106/black-employees-at-u-s-mint-feel-

marginalized-and-threatened-report-says

Carter, R. T., Muchow, C., & Pieterse, A. L. (2018). Construct, predictive validity, and

measurement equivalence of the race-based traumatic stress symptom scale for Black

Americans. Traumatology, 24(1), 8–16. https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000128

(DCD), D. C. D. (2021, October 20). What are the five major types of anxiety disorders?

HHS.gov. Retrieved December 19, 2022, from https://www.hhs.gov/answers/mental-

health-and-substance-abuse/what-are-the-five-major-types-of-anxiety-disorders/

index.html

Dixon-Woods, M., Agarwal, S., Jones, D., Young, B., Sutton, A. (2021) Conducting a systematic

literature review: a guide for medical students. Medical Education, 45(11), 1135-1145

Ericsen, J. E. (1970, January 1). History of PTSD and trauma diagnoses - shell shock to the

DSM. Traumadissociation.com. Retrieved January 18, 2023, from

http://traumadissociation.com/ptsd/history-of-post-traumatic-stress-

disorder.html#:~:text=The%20DSM%2DIII%20recognized%20PTSD,or%20guilt

%20caused%20by%20PTSD
Glucksman M. L. (2001). The dream: a psychodynamically informative instrument. The Journal

of psychotherapy practice and research, 10(4), 223–230.

Holliday, S. B., Dubowitz, T., Haas, A., Ghosh-Dastidar, B., DeSantis, A., & Troxel, W. M.

(2020). The Association Between Discrimination and PTSD in African Americans:

Exploring the Role of Gender. Ethnicity & health, 25(5), 717.

https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2018.1444150

Jackson, J. S., Richman, D. S., & Neville, T. J. (2020). Racial Microaggressions and Mental

Health in African American Workers: A Meta-Analytic Review. Journal of Black

Psychology, 46(5), 337–369. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095798420935700.

Jaegers, L. A., Matthieu, M. M., Vaughn, M. G., Werth, P., Katz, I. M., & Ahmad, S. O. (2019).

Posttraumatic stress disorder and job burnout among jail officers. Journal of occupational

and environmental medicine, 61(6), 505

Jones, M., & Smith, J. (2020). Mixed-methods research in the social sciences. Sage

Publications.

Kirkinis, K., Pieterse, A. L., Martin, C., Agiliga, A., & Brownell, A. (2021). Racism, racial

discrimination, and trauma: A systematic review of the Social Science Literature.

Ethnicity & Health, 26(3), 392–412. https://doi.org/10.1080/13557858.2018.1514453

Race-based charges (charges filed with EEOC) FY 1997 - FY 2021. US EEOC. (n.d.).

Retrieved November 29, 2022, from https://www.eeoc.gov/data/race-based-charges-

charges-filed-eeoc-fy-1997-fy-2021

Stigma, prejudice, and discrimination against people with mental illness. Psychiatry.org -

Stigma, Prejudice, and Discrimination Against People with Mental Illness. (2020).
 Retrieved November 28, 2022, from https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/stigma-

and-discrimination

Tomaskovic-Devey, D., & McCann, C. (2021). Employment Discrimination Charge Rates:

Variation and Sources. Socius. https://doi.org/10.1177/23780231211064389

Williams, D. R., & Neville, H. A. (2021). Job insecurity and fear of discrimination among

African American workers with a history of mental illness. Journal of Occupational

Health Psychology, 26(1), 57-69. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2021-03102-001

Wofford, N., Defever, A. M., & Chopik, W. J. (2019). The vicarious effects of discrimination:

How partner experiences of discrimination affect individual health. Social psychological

and personality science, 10(1), 121. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550617746218