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Group-Based Trajectory Analysis of Longitudinal Employment Patterns and Predictors for Adults With Visual Impairments
Jennifer L Cmar1, Michele C McDonnall1
1The National Research & Training Center on Blindness & Low Vision, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, United States.
Background:
A substantial gap in employment rates has been documented between people with and without visual impairments, but most employment-related research for people with visual impairments has focused on employment at one time point.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to examine longitudinal employment trajectories by visual impairment and investigate factors associated with trajectories for people with visual impairments.
Method:
The data source was the 2014 Panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Participants were 816 adults with visual impairments and a matched comparison group of 816 adults without visual impairments. We used group-based trajectory modeling to estimate employment trajectories, identify predictors of trajectory group membership, and explore the impact of health on employment trajectories.
Results:
Visual impairment was associated with a lower probability of membership in the Rising, Declining, and High employment trajectory groups compared to the Low group. Predictors of trajectory group membership included disability benefit receipt, non-visual disabilities, gender, race, age, and education. Fair or poor health was associated with decreases in all four trajectories over time.
Conclusion:
Visual impairment is a risk factor for not working across multiple years. Disability benefit receipt was the strongest predictor of trajectory group membership for this population.
