Supported employment – improving competitive employment for people with mental illness: The role of motivation and social network

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Self-motivation, subjective norms, and support of social network are central factors in supported employment. OBJECTIVE: To measure these factors a short questionnaire was developed and tested. METHODS: 116 people with mental illness were enrolled. RESULTS: In the present study we found that self-motivation was high; 98% of the consumers think competitive employment is important or very important. The perceived motivation of the social network was also high, but significantly lower than self-motivation. Furthermore, the consumers assume that their social network supports their desire to work. CONCLUSION: People with mental illness are motivated to work, they are not idle.

Empowering individuals with psychiatric disabilities to work: Results of a randomized trial.

“…Employment rates among individuals with psychiatric conditions are low (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2011), not improving (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014; National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2014), and associated with high personal and societal costs (Banerjee, Chatterji, & Lahiri, 2017; Millner et al, 2015). At the same time, estimates suggest that a large majority of people with psychiatric disabilities have an interest in working (Brantschen, Kawohl, Rössler, Bärtsch, & Nordt, 2014; Livermore, Stapleton, & Roche, 2009). Given these issues and challenges, vocational services for this population have received increased emphasis, particularly within the mental health system (Drake, Bond, Goldman, Hogan, & Karakus, 2016).…”

Supported employment in Switzerland—Are we on track?

“…A subsequent trial by the Zurich group confirmed that people with severe mental illness who were on disability for less than a year were 2.7 times more likely to reintegrate into the general labor market with IPS-SE than those receiving usual services (Viering, Jäger, Bärtsch, et al, 2015). The Zurich group also focused on factors that predicted the reintegration success in SE (Brantschen, Kawohl, Rössler, Bärtsch, & Nordt, 2014; Landolt et al, 2016; Viering, Jäger, & Kawohl, 2015). In their most recent paper, they showed that participants who obtained a job, as compared to those who did not, showed persistent increases in quality of life (Rössler et al, 2018).…”

Using the Work Behaviour Inventory and Work Environment Impact Scale to measure employment sustainability for people with severe mental illness in a vocational rehabilitation program

“…Competitive employment has been shown to improve quality of life, self-esteem, and decrease psychiatric symptoms (Gold et al, 2016). Recognising the benefits of employment, people with SMI are motivated to seek employment (Brantschen et al, 2014).…”