Predictors of vocational outcomes using individual placement and support for people with mental illness

People with disabilities find it harder to enter the labour market than people without disabilities and those with a mental illness are, in relation to people with other disabilities, employed at an essentially lower extent. Many are effectively helped by the vocational rehabilitation model Individual Placement and Support (IPS), but there are still many individuals left in undesired unemployment. This study investigates potential predictors of the vocational outcomes of a one-year follow up of IPS in the north of Sweden.

The participants were 65 men and women, mostly younger than 30 years of age diagnosed with a mental illness (predominantly with a diagnosis of anxiety and/or depression).

Baseline data related to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the client, the client's own perceptions of every day living and participation, self-esteem and quality of life, as well as the quantity of employment support, were investigated using analyses of logistic regression.

Of three identified potential predictors, only psychiatric symptoms remained significant in the multivariate logistic regression analyses. A lower level of symptoms increased the odds with 5.5 for gaining employment during one year.

Careful investigation of how psychiatric symptoms influence clients' occupational performance is of importance. By understanding essential aspects of the relationships between the clients' individual characteristics, the rehabilitation context and the vocational outcomes, more appropriate and effective interventions may be offered to the individual client.