Factors associated with labor force participation after spinal cord injury

Abstract

Our purpose was to identify demographic, injury, educational, and vocational predictors of labor force participation (LFP) after spinal cord injury (SCI) performing secondary analysis of existing data. Labor force participation was defined as gainful employment. We used survey data from 1398 adults one or more years post-injury and under the age of 65 at onset. A two-stage regression model was used to predict two parameters: (a) LFP at some time after SCI onset (post-injury LFP) and (b) current LFP. Just under 55% of the participants reported LFP since the onset of SCI. Several variables were significantly related to each outcome, including race, gender, ambulation, post-injury bachelor's degree or higher, and post-injury employment type (management/professional, sales/office). Counselors can use the results to help understand the extent to which characteristics are associated with the probability of successfully participating in the labor force.

Factors That Influence Employment After Spinal Cord Injury in South Korea

“…The employment rate after injury was higher in men than women. This is consistent with previous studies reporting an association between gender and employment in individuals with SCI [ 2 , 13 , 14 , 17 ].…”

“…In this study, the proportion of people participating in the labor force was significantly decreased after SCI. In addition, the employment rate of the South Korean SCI population was lower than those of previous studies [ 2 , 8 - 10 , 13 - 16 ]. Five variables were significantly associated with the employment status of people of SCI: gender, age at injury, time since injury, type of injury, and whether the injury was caused by an industrial accident.…”

“…These results were different from those of previous researches. Education level was the most influential factor regarding employment or return-to-work status of persons with SCI [ 13 , 14 , 18 , 24 ]. This is based on the fact that people with higher education have more options for employment [ 25 ].…”

Differential Odds of Employment and Estimation of Earnings Among Those With Spinal Cord Injury

“…The existing research has primarily focused on factors correlated with likelihood of employment. For example, injury factors, including nonviolent etiology of injury, less severe injury level, younger age at injury, and ability to ambulate, have all been linked to higher rates of employment following injury (Anderson & Vogel, 2002; Hirsh, Molton, Johnson, Bombardier, & Jensen, 2009; Krause, 2010; Krause, Terza, & Dismuke, 2010; Krause, Terza, Erten, Focht, & Dismuke, 2012; Lidal, Hjeltnes, Roislien, Stanghelle, & Biering-Sorensen, 2009; Lin, Hwang, Yu, & Chen, 2009; Pflaum, McCollister, Strauss, Shavelle, & DeVivo, 2006).…”

Vocational Rehabilitation in Spinal Cord Injury: What Vocational Service Activities Are Associated with Employment Program Outcome?

“…espite advances in medical care and legislative efforts aimed at improving employment for persons with disabilities, rates of return to work following spinal cord injury (SCI) have remained low. [1][2][3] Although rehabilitation professionals and consumers acknowledge that vocational issues need careful consideration as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation program, there is no standard in the field for what type of vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs should be included or which vocational services are most effective for persons with SCI who wish to return to employment. Despite the critical need for effective services, there is a notable lack of controlled studies to inform the field on best VR practices for persons with SCI.…”