Do the long-term unemployed regard themselves as able to work?

Szlachta, Ewa; Gawlik-Chmiel, Barbara; Kallus, K. Wolfgang

doi:10.1007/s10389-012-0505-z

Cited by 16 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…The unemployed have lower work ability than those who are employed [21][22][23][24]. Contemporary working life places new and rapidly increasing demands on individuals' work ability, functioning and employability [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and content validity of the Abilitator: a self-report questionnaire on work ability and functioning aimed at the population in a weak labour market position

et al. 2020

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Background: The unemployed have lower work ability and poorer health than the employed. This situation deteriorates when unemployment continues. The long-term unemployed often have co-morbidities and face many other challenges. This increases the need for a multidimensional assessment of work ability and functioning in different service settings. In this study, we describe the development and analyse the content validity of the Abilitator, a self-report questionnaire on work ability and functioning for those in a weak labour market position. Methods: The Abilitator was developed in 2014-2017. Its construct was assessed by members of academic expert panels (n = 30), practical expert panels of professionals (n = 700) and target group clients (n = 28). The structure and the content of the questionnaire was co-developed in 29 workshops and adjusted twice based on the expert panels' feedback. The Abilitator was also implemented among target group clients (n = 3360) in different services and projects. During its development the Abilitator was linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The content validation process followed the guidelines recommended by the Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) panel. Results: The construct of the Abilitator combines the multidimensional and biopsychosocial models of work ability and functioning. It also includes aspects of social inclusion and employability. It evaluates social, psychological, cognitive and physical functioning, and the ability to cope with everyday life. The content of these concepts was validated by the academic and practical expert panels. The Abilitator's 79 ICF codes covered 57% of the Generic, 77% of the Brief Vocational Rehabilitation, and 8% of the Minimal Environmental ICF Core Sets. When compared with the Work Ability Index (WAI) and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS 2.0), the direct equivalences of the ICF codes were 36 and 44%, respectively. Conclusion: The Abilitator sufficiently comprehensively covers the relevant aspects to enable the assessment of the overall work ability and functioning of the population in a weak labour market position.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development and content validity of the Abilitator: a self-report questionnaire on work ability and functioning aimed at the population in a weak labour market position

et al. 2020

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“…Prolonged unemployment is associated with deteriorating health (e.g. Nurmela et al 2018;Worach-Kardas and Kostrzewski 2014;Butterworth et al 2012;Pharr et al 2012) and work ability (Hult and Lappalainen 2018;Lappalainen et al 2017;Lundin et al 2016;Szlachta et al 2012). The proportions of unemployed persons who perceive themselves as having good work ability (a score of eight or above on a scale of 0-10) vary between 30% and 60% in different studies (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The proportions of unemployed persons who perceive themselves as having good work ability (a score of eight or above on a scale of 0-10) vary between 30% and 60% in different studies (e.g. Hult and Lappalainen 2018;Hult et al 2017;Kerätär et al 2016;Szlachta et al 2012). The associations of unemployment and health vary depending on the economic situation of the household, perceived health status, personal relationships, the sense of ability to work, social roles and the individual perception of one's life position (Brand 2015;Worach-Kardas and Kostrzewski 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are only a few studies on all aspects of functioning and work ability of unemployed persons. Usually, these studies concern relations between work ability (work participation) and health (Ferreira et al 2015;McGonagle et al 2015;Kuijer et al 2012;Hoving et al 2010) or only some aspects of functional capacity (Hult and Lappalainen 2018;Worach-Kardas and Kostrzewski 2014;Vastamäki et al 2014;Szlachta et al 2012;Soer et al 2012). Higher functioning and physical condition have been found to be more influential in the association with health and work ability than psychosocial factors for long-term unemployed (Hult and Lappalainen 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Personal and social resources can help individuals to avoid and cope with harmful stressors. However, these resources decrease during employment (Vastamäki et al 2014;Szlachta et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The association between changes in functional capacity and work ability among unemployed individuals

Savinainen

Seitsamo

Joensuu

2019

Int Arch Occup Environ Health

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Purpose Unemployment has multidimensional effects. This study investigated how the changes in functioning are associated with the changes in perceived work ability among unemployed people. Methods The participants were clients in projects funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) targeted for unemployed individuals. They answered a questionnaire covering work ability (Work Ability Score) and functioning (cognitive, psychological and social functioning, physical condition and everyday activities) and perceived health at the beginning and at the end of the project (mean follow-up 173 days). The study included data from unemployed respondents (N = 502) aged 19-64 years. Results Overall, during the follow-up, both work ability and different aspects of functioning improved, excluding physical condition. Changes in cognitive and psychological functioning, physical condition and everyday activities were significantly associated with the changes in work ability. The physical condition had the strongest association with the changes in work ability. Short unemployment time and especially good perceived health improved WAS over time. Age, gender and follow-up time were not associated with changes in work ability. Conclusions Maintaining or improving health and functioning and shortening the length of unemployment appeared to be important issues in enhancing work ability and thus increasing re-employability potential.

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The concurrent validity of the Abilitator: a self-assessment questionnaire on functioning and work ability

Savinainen

Jauhiainen

Heikkilä

et al. 2020

J Public Health (Berl.)

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Aim The Abilitator is a self-assessment questionnaire which was developed to evaluate the perceived work ability and different aspects of functioning of working-age people. The present study aimed to explore the concurrent validity of the Abilitator. Subject and methods The participants (n = 177) were patients of a rehabilitation outpatient clinic. Their mean age was 47.1 years. Using Spearman’s correlation coefficients, we assessed the concurrent validity of the Abilitator to compare it to the HAD, RAND-36, EQ-5D, and WHODAS 2.0 (12-item short version) questionnaires. Results The five domains of the Abilitator showed fair to moderate correlation coefficients with the previously validated and accepted measures of functioning. The strongest correlations were found in specific domains measuring similar constructs, namely social inclusion and RAND-36 vitality/fatigue (rs = 0.58), psychological functioning and RAND-36 emotional well-being (rs = 0.67) and HAD depression (rs = −0.65), everyday activities and total score of EQ-5D (rs = 0.63), cognitive functioning and WHODAS 2.0 cognition (rs = 0.57), and physical condition and RAND-36 physical functioning (rs = 0.70). Analysis by subpopulations of gender and age group showed a broadly similar pattern to that of the total sample. In general, stronger correlations were seen among women and among those of a younger age (50 years or under). Conclusion The Abilitator questionnaire has acceptable concurrent validity for assessing different aspects of the functioning of working-age people.

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Do the long-term unemployed regard themselves as able to work?

Cited by 16 publications

References 4 publications

Development and content validity of the Abilitator: a self-report questionnaire on work ability and functioning aimed at the population in a weak labour market position

Development and content validity of the Abilitator: a self-report questionnaire on work ability and functioning aimed at the population in a weak labour market position

The association between changes in functional capacity and work ability among unemployed individuals

The concurrent validity of the Abilitator: a self-assessment questionnaire on functioning and work ability

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