Post Office scandal victims experienced rates of PTSD and depressive symptoms greater than those experienced by UK Armed Forces Personnel and frontline healthcare workers

The study, published in The British Psychological Society’s journal, Legal and Criminological Psychology, is the first to measure the mental health of individuals who were wrongly accused in the Post Office Scandal in the United Kingdom.

It found that most respondents reported clinically significant post-traumatic stress (67 per cent) and depressive (60 per cent) symptoms—irrespective of whether they were found guilty, not guilty or had a wrongful conviction overturned or not.

The rates of PTSD and/or depressive symptoms were much higher than those seen in the general UK population and higher than those seen in other vulnerable populations – including UK Armed Forces personnel and UK frontline health workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

101 sub-postmasters who had either been investigated and had a civil or criminal suit brought against them, or who were investigated and no charges brought against them completed a survey to self-report on their mental health using a PTSD checklist, a depression scale, a scale of perceived social support and a post-traumatic cognitions inventory.

Most respondents exceeded the recommended cut-off scores for clinically significant post-traumatic stress symptoms and clinically significant depressive symptoms.

There were no differences found in the severity of mental health symptoms between participants who had received financial compensation and those who had not.

The study also found no differences in the severity of mental health symptoms between respondents who were convicted of criminal offences and respondents who were investigated, prosecuted and/or pursued in civil court, suggesting that wrongful accusation may be just as damaging to mental health as wrongful conviction.

Professor Richard Moorhead, part of the study team and who leads an ESRC funded project on the scandal, said: “Our findings have important implications for victims of the Post Office Scandal and highlight the unique needs of people impacted by flawed convictions and flawed legal accusations.

“The research underscores the need to provide exonerees with support and demonstrate that this support should also be extended to victims of wrongful accusation. The recent developments in the scandal and movements by the government to overturn convictions and provide compensation are very welcome, but we cannot forget the mental health damage already done to the victims.”

Professor Rebecca Helm, also part of the study team, added: “Victims of the Post Office Scandal are experiencing poor mental health at worryingly high levels. This highlights the need to put in place mental health support for all those accused, regardless of conviction, as well as to complete the process of settling financial compensation cases.”