A prospective study to examine the influence of secondary health conditions on vocational rehabilitation client employment outcomes | Knowledge Translation for Employment Research Center

Authors:	Johnstone, B., Price, T., Bounds, T., Schoop, L. H.,Schootman, M., & Schumate, D.
Year Published	2011
Publication	Disability and Health Journal
Volume	4
Number
Pages	28-38
Publisher	Elsevier
Background	Previous research has demonstrated positive financial and health outcomes through worksite health promotion. However, with the employment rate of people with disabilities significantly lower than their non-disabled peers, many do not have the same opportunity for health care coverage. Additionally, people with disabilities tend to experience secondary health conditions such as depression, pain, and anxiety, at a much higher rate. One mechanism to support people with disabilities is the state vocational rehabilitation (VR) system.
Purpose	Using a longitudinal design, this study aims to evaluate the relationship between health factors and employment outcomes in a vocational rehabilitation setting.
Setting	Participants from a mix of rural and urban areas completed a baseline survey instrument including informed consent, during a VR visit. Follow-up surveys were delivered through first class mail to the participants' homes.
Sample	Participants were between 21 and 65 years of age, had a physical or mobility primary disability, had been accepted to work with state VR services, and had not worked with state VR for more than 6 months. Participants were predominately white (79.8%), men (47.7%) and women, with some college education (52.1%).
Data Collection	Data collection occurred at 6, 12, and 18 months following the initial VR visit. Researchers followed up with phone calls and additional mail to improve data integrity. Examples of measures used include the Secondary Conditions Surveillance Instrument, and questions from the BRFSS Quality of Life and Caregiving Module.
Control	There was no control group.
Findings	Two regression models were presented. The first model predicted employment at 18 months based on independent variables at baseline.The second model predicted employment at 18 months based on independent variables at 18 months. Both models indicated a decrease in the secondary conditions score would improve the probability of employment by approximately 1 percent. Participants' probability of being employed was approximately 16% higher when receiving counseling and guidance through state VR services.
Conclusions	Due to attrition and insufficient data to attain the necessary power, findings were not significant. However, trends indicate that VR staff could improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities through additional counseling or guidance services.
URL	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21168805
Disabilities	No specific disability
Populations	Male & Female
Outcomes	Employment acquisition
NIDILRR Funded	Yes
Research Design	Observational, Quasi-experimental
Peer Reviewed	Yes

Year Published

2011

Publication

Disability and Health Journal

Volume

4

Number

Pages

28-38

Publisher

Elsevier

Background

Previous research has demonstrated positive financial and health outcomes through worksite health promotion. However, with the employment rate of people with disabilities significantly lower than their non-disabled peers, many do not have the same opportunity for health care coverage. Additionally, people with disabilities tend to experience secondary health conditions such as depression, pain, and anxiety, at a much higher rate. One mechanism to support people with disabilities is the state vocational rehabilitation (VR) system.

Purpose

Using a longitudinal design, this study aims to evaluate the relationship between health factors and employment outcomes in a vocational rehabilitation setting.

Setting

Participants from a mix of rural and urban areas completed a baseline survey instrument including informed consent, during a VR visit. Follow-up surveys were delivered through first class mail to the participants' homes.

Sample

Participants were between 21 and 65 years of age, had a physical or mobility primary disability, had been accepted to work with state VR services, and had not worked with state VR for more than 6 months. Participants were predominately white (79.8%), men (47.7%) and women, with some college education (52.1%).

Data Collection

Data collection occurred at 6, 12, and 18 months following the initial VR visit. Researchers followed up with phone calls and additional mail to improve data integrity. Examples of measures used include the Secondary Conditions Surveillance Instrument, and questions from the BRFSS Quality of Life and Caregiving Module.

Control

There was no control group.

Findings

Two regression models were presented. The first model predicted employment at 18 months based on independent variables at baseline.The second model predicted employment at 18 months based on independent variables at 18 months. Both models indicated a decrease in the secondary conditions score would improve the probability of employment by approximately 1 percent. Participants' probability of being employed was approximately 16% higher when receiving counseling and guidance through state VR services.

Conclusions

Due to attrition and insufficient data to attain the necessary power, findings were not significant. However, trends indicate that VR staff could improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities through additional counseling or guidance services.

URL

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21168805

Disabilities

No specific disability

Populations

Male & Female

Outcomes

Employment acquisition

NIDILRR Funded

Yes

Research Design

Observational, Quasi-experimental

Peer Reviewed

Yes