Emotional disturbance

Populations:

Outcomes:

Return to work

NIDILRR Funded:

Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)

Research Design:

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

Additional interventions to enhance the effectiveness of individual placement and support: A rapid evidence assessment

Authors:

Brooks, B. M., Rose, F. D., Atree, E. A., & Elliot-Square, A.

Year Published:

2012

Publication:

Rehabilitation Research and Practice

Volume:

2012

Number:

1

Pages:

101-108

Publisher:

Hindawi Publishing Corporation

Background:

Individual placement and support (IPS) has been developed as a standardized approach to supported employment aimed at helping people with severe mental health problems find competitive work. IPS has proven very effective in improving vocational outcomes amongst people with severe mental illness when compared to other vocational services, with a recent review reporting that 61% of participants enrolled in IPS programs gained employment, compared to 23% of those on other vocational programs. IPS does have limitations, however. As the results above would suggest, around 40% of people on IPS programs do not gain employment despite the support. A second criticism of IPS relates to job tenure of the people employed through these schemes, which tends to be short

Purpose:

To establish whether additional interventions improve the vocational outcomes of IPS alone for people with severe mental illness. The aim of this rapid evidence assessment was to identify studies which have sought to improve on the effectiveness of standard IPS by adding a supplementary intervention. The aims are to answer the following questions: (1) what supplementary interventions have been used with IPS? (2) What are the results and what is the quality of those studies? (3) Do supplementary interventions improve employment rates and job tenure compared to IPS alone? (4) Are any supplementary interventions superior to others?

Setting:

This study is a systematic review. The included studies were undertaken in various locations and settings.

Sample:

The search was for empirical studies conducted from 1980 to July 2011. Studies were considered for inclusion if they: involved people with a severe mental illness; indicated the use of IPS or IPS core principles; involved supplementary interventions categorised as skills training, education, cognitive training, or psycho-therapeutic techniques. Studies meeting these criteria were only included if the design compared IPS alone with enhanced IPS. The sample included 11 studies involving individuals with mental illness.

Data Collection:

A Rapid evidence assessment provides an overview of existing research on a specific research topic, as well as a simple extraction and synthesis of the relevant data. The methods used to search for and appraise the research are systematic and rigorous, but the depth of the search is limited by the development of search terms and breadth of resources searched. This type of assessment is particularly useful to quickly gather existing evidence in a research area and determine what future research needs to be done.
Data regarding employment rates and job tenure were extracted directly from the papers. Odds ratios were calculated where possible using data on participants employed/not employed per experimental group in each study. Where necessary, authors were contacted for further clarification or information.

Intervention:

A rapid evidence assessment of the literature was conducted for studies where behavioral or psychological interventions have been used to supplement standard IPS. Published and unpublished empirical studies of IPS with additional interventions were considered for inclusion.

Control:

There were no comparison or control conditions.

Findings:

In total 627 papers were identified and 246 remained after duplicates were removed, of which 241 were excluded at this stage (reasons are given below). References of the 5 included papers and relevant (excluded) systematic reviews were screened for potentially relevant titles, which identified a further 15 records for screening once duplicates had been removed. Of these, 6 further papers met the inclusion criteria. In total, 11 papers were included in the review and 250 papers were excluded. Averaging across the employment rates reported by four studies, enhanced IPS does appear to produce higher rates of competitive employment compared to IPS or control groups alone. The average enhanced rate of 76% would also appear to be higher than the average IPS employment rates reported in previous reviews [3], and this difference is accentuated when focusing on studies using skills training, where on average the employment rate is 25% higher. In addition, rates were moderately higher than previous reviews for studies involving cognitive training.

Conclusions:

Six published studies were found which compared IPS alone to IPS plus a supplementary intervention. Of these, three used skills training and three used cognitive remediation. The contribution of each discrete intervention is difficult to establish. Some evidence suggests that work-related social skills and cognitive training are effective adjuncts, but this is an area where large RCTs are required to yield conclusive evidence.

URL:

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/rerp/2012/382420/

Disabilities:

Populations:

Outcomes:

Increase in hours worked

Systematic reviews and meta-analysis

Wages

NIDILRR Funded:

Not Reported

Research Design:

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

The quality of supported employment implementation scale (2000)

Authors:

Bond, G. R., Salyers, M. P., Dincin, J., Drake, R. E., Becker, D. R., Fraser, V. V., & Haines, M.

Year Published:

2000

Publication:

Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation

Volume:

14

Number:

1

Pages:

201-212

Publisher:

IOS Press

Background:

Supported employment as an approach to assist individuals with the most severe disabilities, with gaining and maintaining work, has been described in the literature since the nineteen eighties. However, its implementation has been variable in the United States. A scale to measure the quality of supported employment implementation would be beneficial.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to develop a checklist that could be used by program administrators or state planners to measure the implementation of supported employment programs for individuals with severe mental illness.

Setting:

The study sites were 17 supported employment programs located in Kansas and New Jersey.

Sample:

A total of 32 supported employment programs participated in the study. Twenty sites were in New Jersey and 12 in Kansas. Between the two states' programs, there was no significant difference in the longevity of the programs, number of employment specialist, number of consumers, staff to consumer ratios. They also did not differ in number of annual admissions.

Data Collection:

One and half hour semi structured telephone interviews were conducted with program managers using the Quality of Supported Employment Implementation Scale. The subscales were: vocational staffing, organization and services, from the Individual Placement and Support Fidelity Scale. After the interview, procedures were explained about collecting employment outcome data. Program directors were paid $100 for completing this activity. The data related to employment status of current consumers.

Intervention:

The intervention was the use of the Quality of Supported Employment Implementation Scale to evaluate services.

Control:

There was no comparison or control condition.

Findings:

The inter-interviewer agreement was moderately high. Overall, internal consistency of the total scale was poor, so the researchers subscales. All 33 items on the Quality of Supported Employment Implementation Scale showed some variation. Both states showed high ratings suggesting moderate to full implementation in most of the measured areas. However there were some differences at the subscale and item level. New Jersey had significantly higher implementation of planning and support, while Kansas had higher implementation of integration of mental health.

Conclusions:

The Quality of Supported Employment Implementation Scale can be used to describe supported employment programs for individuals with severe mental illness. More research is needed.

URL:

http://worksupport.com/Main/downloads/article5.pdf

Disabilities:

Populations:

Outcomes:

NIDILRR Funded:

Research Design:

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

The quality of supported employment implementation scale (2008)

Authors:

Bond, G. R., McHugo, G. J., Becker, D. R., Rapp, C. A., & Whitley, R.

Year Published:

2008

Publication:

Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation

Volume:

14

Number:

3

Pages:

201-212

Publisher:

IOS Press

Background:

Introduced in the 1980s supported employment (SE) is an approach to helping people with severe disabilities work in competitive employment positions. Although its principles are well described in the literature, its implementation has been variable throughout the U.S.

Purpose:

The purpose of this study was to develop a brief, self-explanatory checklist, suitable for use in a telephone interview format, and ultimately as an instrument completed by a program administrator or state planner, or as a self evaluation by a study site.

Setting:

The setting were supported employment programs in Kansas and New Jersey.

Sample:

The study sample included 32 supported employment programs across 2 states.

Data Collection:

A 1.5-hour semi-structured interview using the Quality of Supported Employment Implementation Scale (QSEIS) was conducted with program directors in 32 supported employment programs. The QSEIS total scale and 4 sub-scales were correlated with 9 indicators of employment outcomes, obtained from a retrospective survey completed by program directors in 24 of the programs.

Intervention:

The intervention was Fidelity of implementation of Individual Placement and Support model of supported employment.

Control:

There was no control or comparison condition.

Findings:

Substantial implementation of supported employment standards was found in these programs, with mean ratings exceeding 4.0 on a 5-point scale, for 18 of 33 items. Mean overall implementation was similar in both states, with somewhat different patterns, with NJ rating higher on Planning and Support, and KS rating higher on Integration of Mental Health and Rapid Job Search.

Conclusions:

The QSEIS is a pragmatic tool for describing supported employment programs for people with severe mental illness, although more work on psychometric precision and predictive validity is needed. The survey provides norms by which other providers and other states can compare their achievement of the principles of supported employment.

URL:

http://worksupport.com/Main/downloads/article5.pdf

Disabilities:

Populations:

Outcomes:

NIDILRR Funded:

Not Reported

Research Design:

Qualitative

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

Implementing supported employment as an evidence-based practice

Authors:

Bond, G. R., Campbell, K., & Drake, R.

Year Published:

2001

Publication:

Psychiatric Services

Volume:

52

Number:

3

Pages:

313-322

Publisher:

American Psychiatric Association

Background:

The implementation of evidence-based practices in support of people with mental illness is considerably behind "state of the art knowledge" (p. 313). Supported employment is one of those practices.

Purpose:

The intent of the paper was to "to familiarize clients, families, clinicians, administrators, and mental health policy makers with supported employment; to review the findings and limitations of current research; and to discuss implementation issues, including availability, barriers, and strategies" (p. 313).

Setting:

This study is a systematic review. The included studies were undertaken in various locations and settings.

Sample:

The study sample included the findings from eight randomized controlled trials and three quasi-experimental studies. All studies related to individuals with severe mental illness.

Data Collection:

A review of literature, including recent studies, was conducted to provide a comprehensive discussion of supported employment.

Intervention:

Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is a systematic approach to helping people with severe mental illness achieve competitive employment. It is based on eight principles: eligibility based on client choice, focus on competitive employment, integration of mental health and employment services, attention to client preferences, work incentives planning, rapid job search, systematic job development, and individualized job supports. Systematic reviews have concluded that IPS is an evidence-based practice

Control:

Control conditions varied across the studies. Conditions included Group skills training, enhanced vocational rehabilitation, psychosocial rehabilitation, diversified placement, train-place, sheltered workshop, brokered vocational rehabilitation, and traditional vocational services.

Findings:

The following components "are almost always present in successful vocational programs" (p. 315):
1. The agency providing supported employment services is committed to competitive employment as an attainable
goal for its clients with severe mental illness, devoting its resources for rehabilitation services to this endeavor rather than to day treatment
or sheltered work. . .
2. Supported employment programs use a rapid job search approach to help clients obtain jobs directly, rather than providing lengthy pre-employment assessment, training, and counseling. . .
3. Staff and clients find individualized job placements according to client preferences, strengths, and work experiences. . .
4. Follow-along supports are maintained indefinitely. . .
5. The supported employment program is closely integrated with the mental health treatment team" (p. 315).

Limitations of supported employment are:
1. Not all clients want to work; therefore, encouraging clients to make informed decisions may reduce dropout rates.
2. Job availability is often restricted due to "limited work experience, education, and training" (p. 316).
3. Most positions are part-time; clients limit their own availability to avoid jeopardizing their benefits.
4. Specific details about the best way to implement supported employment has not been researched.
5. The relationship between employment and medication have not been addressed.
6. Long-term outcomes have not been studied.
7. Most clients lack access to supported employment.
8. Funding support is devoted primarily to administrative and pre-employment activities, rather than actual supported employment. For example, vocational activities are restricted from Medicaid reimbursement.
9. Inadequate resources -- funding, as well as staff availability -- are two of the major difficulties.

Conclusions:

Supported employment offers improved employment outcomes across many settings and populations. However, overcoming employment barriers to ensure supported employment services are widely available is critical.

URL:

http://www.worksupport.com/kter/documents/pdf/ImplementingSupportedEmployment.pdf

Disabilities:

Populations:

Hispanic or Latino

Outcomes:

Systematic reviews and meta-analysis

Return to work

NIDILRR Funded:

Not Reported

Research Design:

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

Validation of the revised individual placement and support fidelity scale

Authors:

Bond, G. R., Peterson, A., Becker, D., & Drake, R.

Year Published:

2012

Publication:

Psychiatric Services

Volume:

63

Number:

8

Pages:

758-763

Publisher:

American Psychiatric Association

Background:

Systematic reviews have concluded that the Individualized Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment is an evidence-based practice. The IPS model is a systematic approach to helping clients with severe mental illness obtain competitive employment The 15-item IPS Fidelity Scale (IPS-15) was developed and has been widely adopted in routine practice as a quality improvement tool and in formal research studies to monitor treatment integrity and drift. Nine of ten evaluations have found a positive association between the IPS-15 and competitive employment outcomes. Since the publication of the IPS-15 in 1997, researchers and fidelity assessors have noted deficiencies in the IPS-15, some owing to under-specification of the IPS model in early publications. Specifically, early conceptualizations of the IPS model gave little attention to benefits counseling about Social Security, Medicaid, and other government programs in relation to gaining employment.

Purpose:

The individual placement and support (IPS) model of supported employment for people with severe mental illness is an evidence-based practice. The 15-item IPS Fidelity Scale (IPS-15) was developed to measure program fidelity and has been shown to have good psychometric properties, including predictive validity. On the basis of field experience and research updates, the authors developed an expanded and revised version of this scale, the IPS-25, also known as the Supported Employment Fidelity Scale. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the IPS-25. The primary hypothesis was that the IPS-25 would be positively associated with the competitive employment rate. Our two secondary hypotheses were that the unemployment rate would be negatively correlated with the competitive employment rate and that program longevity would be positively correlated with both the IPS-25 and competitive employment rate.

Setting:

The study drew on secondary data analysis from an ongoing quality improvement strategy employed in an IPS learning collaborative in 13 states devoted to implementing high-fidelity IPS services. Eight of the 13 states in the IPS learning collaborative participated. We excluded the one state not using the IPS-25 and three states that were still in the start-up phase of IPS implementation. One state opted not to participate in the project.

Sample:

The sample consisted of 79 sites; the number of sites per state varied (range two to 21), consistent with the stage of IPS dissemination within each state. On average, programs had an active caseload of 59 clients (range ten to 334). Most sites had reported outcomes for at least one year before the most recent fidelity assessment. However, 17 sites had been reporting outcomes for fewer than three quarters before the date of the fidelity assessment used in the analysis.

Data Collection:

As part of the agreement for participating in the IPS learning collaborative, individual sites agree to collect annual fidelity assessments and quarterly competitive employment outcomes. Fidelity reviews were conducted according to each state's procedures. The fidelity assessors for each state included trainers from technical assistance centers and state mental health and vocational rehabilitation agencies.
Following exploratory data analysis to plan statistical methods, the study used multiple regression to examine the fidelity-outcome relationship, controlling for unemployment rate and program longevity. Finally, the study conducted the analysis of variance linear trend analysis on the classification based on benchmark fidelity levels.

Intervention:

Interventions with the IPS model of supported employment are based on eight principles: eligibility based on client choice, focus on competitive employment, integration of mental health and employment services, attention to client preferences, work incentives planning, rapid job search, systematic job development, and individualized job supports.

Findings:

Internal consistency reliability for the IPS-25 was .88. Predictive validity, measured as the correlation between the IPS-25 and site-level employment rate, was .34. Eight of the IPS-25 items were significantly positively correlated with employment rate. Items related to the vocational generalist role, disclosure, follow-along support, and vocational unit were the most strongly correlated with employment. Program longevity was positively associated with employment, whereas the unemployment rate was not.

Conclusions:

The IPS-25 has promising psychometric properties, with greater precision and content coverage than the IPS-15. However, it has not demonstrated an advantage over the IPS-15 in predictive validity. Research directly comparing the two scales is needed.

URL:

http://www.worksupport.com/kter/documents/pdf/Bond_ValidationoftheRevisedIndividualPlacementandSupportFidelityScale.pdf

Disabilities:

Populations:

Outcomes:

NIDILRR Funded:

Research Design:

Mixed methods

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

Validation of the revised individual placement and support fidelity scale

Authors:

Bond, G. R., Picone, J., Mauer, B., Fishbein,S., & Stout, R.

Year Published:

2012

Publication:

Psychiatric Services

Volume:

63

Number:

8

Pages:

758-763

Publisher:

Psychiatric Services

Background:

Systematic reviews have concluded that the Individualized Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment is an evidence-based practice. The IPS model is a systematic approach to helping clients with severe mental illness obtain competitive employment The 15-item IPS Fidelity Scale (IPS-15) was developed and has been widely adopted in routine practice as a quality improvement tool and in formal research studies to monitor treatment integrity and drift. Nine of ten evaluations have found a positive association between the IPS-15 and competitive employment outcomes. Since the publication of the IPS-15 in 1997, researchers and fidelity assessors have noted deficiencies in the IPS-15, some owing to under-specification of the IPS model in early publications. Specifically, early conceptualizations of the IPS model gave little attention to benefits counseling about Social Security, Medicaid, and other government programs in relation to gaining employment.

Purpose:

The individual placement and support (IPS) model of supported employment for people with severe mental illness is an evidence-based practice. The 15-item IPS Fidelity Scale (IPS-15) was developed to measure program fidelity and has been shown to have good psychometric properties, including predictive validity. On the basis of field experience and research updates, the authors developed an expanded and revised version of this scale, the IPS-25, also known as the Supported Employment Fidelity Scale. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the IPS-25. The primary hypothesis was that the IPS-25 would be positively associated with the competitive employment rate. Our two secondary hypotheses were that the unemployment rate would be negatively correlated with the competitive employment rate and that program longevity would be positively correlated with both the IPS-25 and competitive employment rate.

Setting:

The study drew on secondary data analysis from an ongoing quality improvement strategy employed in an IPS learning collaborative in 13 states devoted to implementing high-fidelity IPS services. Eight of the 13 states in the IPS learning collaborative participated. We excluded the one state not using the IPS-25 and three states that were still in the start-up phase of IPS implementation. One state opted not to participate in the project.

Sample:

The sample consisted of 79 sites; the number of sites per state varied (range two to 21), consistent with the stage of IPS dissemination within each state. On average, programs had an active caseload of 59 clients (range ten to 334). Most sites had reported outcomes for at least one year before the most recent fidelity assessment. However, 17 sites had been reporting outcomes for fewer than three quarters before the date of the fidelity assessment used in the analysis.

Data Collection:

As part of the agreement for participating in the IPS learning collaborative, individual sites agree to collect annual fidelity assessments and quarterly competitive employment outcomes. Fidelity reviews were conducted according to each state's procedures. The fidelity assessors for each state included trainers from technical assistance centers and state mental health and vocational rehabilitation agencies.
Following exploratory data analysis to plan statistical methods, the study used multiple regression to examine the fidelity-outcome relationship, controlling for unemployment rate and program longevity. Finally, the study conducted the analysis of variance linear trend analysis on the classification based on benchmark fidelity levels.

Intervention:

Interventions with the IPS model of supported employment are based on eight principles: eligibility based on client choice, focus on competitive employment, integration of mental health and employment services, attention to client preferences, work incentives planning, rapid job search, systematic job development, and individualized job supports.

Findings:

Internal consistency reliability for the IPS-25 was .88. Predictive validity, measured as the correlation between the IPS-25 and site-level employment rate, was .34. Eight of the IPS-25 items were significantly positively correlated with employment rate. Items related to the vocational generalist role, disclosure, follow-along support, and vocational unit were the most strongly correlated with employment. Program longevity was positively associated with employment, whereas the unemployment rate was not.

Conclusions:

The IPS-25 has promising psychometric properties, with greater precision and content coverage than the IPS-15. However, it has not demonstrated an advantage over the IPS-15 in predictive validity. Research directly comparing the two scales is needed.

URL:

http://www.worksupport.com/kter/documents/pdf/Bond_ValidationoftheRevisedIndividualPlacementandSupportFidelityScale.pdf

Disabilities:

Populations:

Outcomes:

NIDILRR Funded:

Research Design:

Mixed methods

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

Generalizability of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment outside the US

Authors:

Bond, G. R., Drake, R.E., & Becker, D. R.

Year Published:

2012

Publication:

World Psychiatry

Volume:

11

Number:

1

Pages:

32-39

Publisher:

World Psychiatric Association

Background:

While reviews of controlled studies of the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model of supported employment for clients with severe mental illness have documented its effectiveness in the US, its ability to generalize to other countries has not been systematically evaluated. This is the first review to compare US to non-US studies.

Purpose:

The current review has two goals. First, given the growing international attention to IPS, it examines the effectiveness of IPS in studies conducted outside the US compared to US studies. Second, it expands the scope of prior IPS reviews by adding recent randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and enlarging the range of outcome measures in order to examine the hypothesis that IPS yields better competitive employment outcomes across a range of measures than alternative vocational programs.

Setting:

In most studies, participants were recruited from clients receiving services from community mental health centers. Altogether, the 15 studies analyzed Control enrolled 1063 IPS participants (mean = 70.9 per study) and 1117 control participants (mean = 74.5 per study).

Sample:

The study identified 15 randomized controlled trials of IPS programs, 9 in the US and 6 outside the US. It examined competitive employment outcomes, including employment rate, days to first job, weeks worked during follow-up, and hours worked. We also considered non-competitive employment, program retention, and nonvocational outcomes.

Data Collection:

Data were recorded directly from published reports or calculated from information presented in the published studies. For the measure of job duration, the study converted total weeks worked to an annualized rate, reporting the findings for both the full intent-to-treat sample and the worker subsample (those who obtained at least one competitive job during follow-up).

Intervention:

The intervention was the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model which is a systematic approach to helping people with severe mental illness achieve competitive employment. It is based on eight principles: eligibility based on client choice, focus on competitive employment, integration of mental health and employment services, attention to client preferences, work incentives planning, rapid job search, systematic job development, and individualized job supports. Systematic reviews have concluded that IPS is an evidence-based practice

Control:

Control conditions varied across the studies. Conditions included Group skills training, enhanced vocational rehabilitation, psychosocial rehabilitation, diversified placement, train-place, sheltered workshop, brokered vocational rehabilitation, and traditional vocational services.

Findings:

Rigorous evaluations of IPS suggest that 60% or more of IPS clients obtain competitive jobs, compared to about 25% of those who receive other types of vocational assistance. One way of interpreting this finding is that approximately 25% of clients who express an interest in competitive employment will succeed in obtaining a job in diverse and ineffective vocational programs or even without any vocational services, but IPS helps an additional 35% of the target group who otherwise would remain unemployed. The finding of a large and statistically significant beneficial impact of IPS is robust, upheld in all 15 studies. The effectiveness of IPS is also suggested by other measures of competitive employment outcome, including time to first job, job duration and total hours employed during the follow-up period. Most IPS clients work part-time, typically half-time; about two-thirds of those who obtain competitive employment work 20 hours or more per week. Few IPS clients work full-time, likely due to preferences, limited stamina, and/or fear of losing health insurance or other benefits. Consistent with the principle of rapid job search, the time to first competitive job for IPS participants is nearly 10 weeks sooner than for controls. The mean length of time to first job for IPS participants (19 weeks) is, however, still lengthy for a model that prescribes rapid job search.

Conclusions:

To summarize, the question of IPS transportability outside the US remains unanswered. While the published studies suggest that the labor and disability laws in some European countries may make a direct replication of IPS difficult, there are also indications that IPS transports well to other countries, such as Australia and the Hong Kong region of China. Finally, before concluding that the IPS must undergo radical adaptations in another nation, IPS programs should receive sufficient training and guidance to implement the model with high fidelity.

URL:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22295007

Disabilities:

Populations:

Hispanic or Latino

Outcomes:

Increase in hours worked

NIDILRR Funded:

Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)

Research Design:

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

A Supported Employment program for people with Mental Illness in Hong Kong

Authors:

Wong, K. K., Chiu, R., Tang, B., Mak, D., Liu, J., & Chiu, S. N.

Year Published:

2004

Publication:

American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation

Volume:

7

Number:

1

Pages:

83-96

Publisher:

Routledge, Taylor and Francis

Background:

People with mental illness have high rates of unemployment and underemployment. Hong Kong is interested in investigating new ways to assist this population with employment. Research is needed.

Purpose:

The purpose of this article is to report on the vocational outcomes of people with mental illness participating in a supported employment (SE) program in Hong Kong.

Setting:

The setting was community vocational rehabilitation providers and various places of business in Hong Kong.

Sample:

The study sample included 748 individuals with mental illness who enrolled in supported employment programs in Hong Kong.

Data Collection:

Employment data was collected on participants, including wages and job tenure was collected.

Intervention:

The intervention was the Individual Placement and Support model of supported employment.

Control:

There was no control or comparison group.

Findings:

Of the 748 participants, 458 (61.2%) obtained competitive employment. The mean job tenure was 151 days. The mean salary was HK$4,561 (US$585.00) for full-time jobs and $2,368 (US$304.00) for part-time jobs. The majority of participants (62.4%) could sustain their job placement for more than 30 days, 110 (24.0%) participants could work for more than six months, and 59 (12.9%) could maintain their jobs for more than one year.

Conclusions:

This study concluded that IPS programs could improve vocational outcomes for people with mental illness in Hong Kong. Recommendations for future research on evaluation of the effectiveness of SE program and for further development of SE in Hong Kong were suggested.

URL:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15487760490465004

Disabilities:

Populations:

Outcomes:

NIDILRR Funded:

Research Design:

Peer Reviewed:

Yes

A randomized controlled trial of a supported employment program for persons with long-term mental illness in Hong Kong

Authors:

Wong, K. K., Chiu, S. N., Chiu, L. P., & Tang, S. W.

Year Published:

2008

Publication:

Psychiatric Services

Volume:

59

Number:

1

Pages:

84-90

Publisher:

American Psychiatric Association

Background:

Supported employment is an evidence-based practice that has proved to be consistently more effective than conventional vocational rehabilitation in helping people with severe mental illness find and sustain competitive employment. Most research on the effectiveness of supported employment comes from the United States.

Purpose:

This study examined the effectiveness and applicability of a supported employment program based on the individual placement and support model in a Hong Kong setting.

Setting:

The setting was community rehabilitation programs in Hong Kong.

Sample:

Ninety-two unemployed individuals with long-term mental illness who desired competitive employment were randomly assigned to either a supported employment program or a conventional vocational rehabilitation program.

Data Collection:

Both vocational and non-vocational outcomes were measured in this study. Vocational outcomes include competitive employment rates, time to first job, total days employed, and total earnings. Non-vocational outcomes include self-perceived quality of life. Major assessments were conducted at baseline and at six and 18 month follow up points by the employment specialist.

Intervention:

The intervention was the Individual Placement and Support model of supported employment.

Control:

Traditional Vocational Rehabilitation Services

Findings:

Over an 18 month study period, compared with participants in the conventional vocational rehabilitation program, those in the supported employment group were more likely to work competitively, held a greater number of competitive jobs, earned more income, worked more days and sustained longer job tenures.

Conclusions:

Consistent with previous research findings, the supported employment program was more effective than the conventional vocational rehabilitation program in helping individuals with long-term mental illness find and sustain competitive employment in a Hong Kong setting.

URL:

http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/ps.2008.59.1.84

Disabilities:

Populations:

Outcomes:

Full-time employment