The report — Small Business and Mental Health Through the Pandemic — is based on the findings of a survey conducted in January and February 2022 (the 2022 Survey) of 1,007 small-business owners across Australia.
It built on an earlier survey conducted in April and May 2020 (the 2020 Survey) of 1,015 small-business owners and 35 in-depth interviews with small-business owners at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2022 Survey results indicated that small-business owners continue to experience high levels of mental ill health with 22 per cent — just over one in five — reporting they have been diagnosed with a mental ill health condition by a doctor or health professional in recent months.
The diagnoses range from anxiety (14 per cent) to depression (12Â per cent) and stress-related problems (12 per cent).
However, despite medical diagnosis, many of the respondents said that stigma about mental illness remains a key issue in the small-business sector and many are reluctant to reach out for help.
Fifty-two per cent of small-business respondents ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ they were more likely to seek mental health support if they could remain anonymous.
Around 46 per cent of small-business respondents ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ they would be treated poorly if they disclosed being diagnosed with a mental illness and 41 per cent ‘agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ with the statement ‘as a small business owner, even in crisis, I would not tell anyone if I had been diagnosed with depression’.
More than one in three small-business respondents (34 per cent) ‘disagreed’ or ‘strongly disagreed’ with the statement ‘I feel safe talking about my mental health with peers and colleagues’.
More than a quarter of small-business respondents (28 per cent) reported feeling embarrassed to ask for help with their mental health.
A strong theme emerged that many small-business owners felt they needed to ‘do it all’ and had to keep up the appearance of being fine even when they were struggling with their mental health and wellbeing because others — family, business partners, employees, and suppliers — depended on them.
There was also an indication that barriers to accessing mental health are still a problem for small-business owners as is a lack of effective strategies to monitor and maintain their mental health.
This is despite increasing government investment in tailored small-business mental health support.
There is still an issue around cost, location, accessibility, and finding information about mental health support.
While just over half of small-business respondents felt that mental health services were available to them (57 per cent), many thought information about mental health support services was difficult to find and access and they felt that costs were not affordable.
Another 29 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that it was difficult to find information about mental health support services available to small-business owners with 12 per cent unsure and 26 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that it is difficult to access mental health support services available to small-business owners with 18 per cent unsure.
Only 27 per cent agreed or strongly agreed that costs associated with mental health support services are affordable, with 17 per cent unsure, leaving a large proportion of small-business respondents feeling that these services are not affordable.