Employment program for patients with severe mental illness in Malaysia: a 3-month outcome

This study aimed to examine the rate and predictive factors of successful employment at 3 months upon enrolment into an employment program among patients with severe mental illness (SMI).

A cross-sectional study using universal sampling technique was conducted on patients with SMI who completed a 3-month period of being employed at Hospital Permai, Malaysia. A total of 147 patients were approached and 126 were finally included in the statistical analyses. Successful employment was defined as the ability to work 40 or more hours per month. Factors significantly associated with successful employment from bivariate analyses were entered into a multiple logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of successful employment.

The rate of successful employment at 3 months was 68.3% (n=81). Significant factors associated with successful employment from bivariate analyses were having past history of working, good family support, less number of psychiatric admissions, good compliance to medicine, good interest in work, living in hostel, being motivated to work, satisfied with the job or salary, getting a preferred job, being in competitive or supported employment and having higher than median scores of PANNS on the positive, negative and general psychopathology. Significant predictors of employment, from a logistic regression model were having good past history of working (p<0.021; OR 6.12; [95% CI 2.1-11.9]) and getting a preferred job (p<0.032; [OR 4.021; 95% CI 1.83-12.1]).

Results showed a high employment rate among patients with SMI. Good past history of working and getting a preferred job were significant predictors of successful employment.