Individual Placement and Support and Long-Term Employment: A Review of Long-Term Follow-Up Studies

Rigorous research robustly supports individual placement and support (IPS) as the leading evidence-based vocational rehabilitation practice for adults with serious mental illness. Randomized controlled trials have consistently shown positive competitive employment outcomes over 1 or 2 years for IPS participants, compared with those who receive a variety of comparison interventions. Although long-term follow-ups are scarce, they matter because recovery is a longitudinal process. In this narrative review, the authors examined the available evidence from long-term IPS follow-ups (≥3.5 years).

A literature search included an examination of recent IPS systematic reviews and a Google Scholar search.

Among eight long-term IPS follow-up studies, all but one showed persistence of competitive employment, some for as long as 10 years. The studies did not consistently collect data regarding ongoing support, other important recovery outcomes, and disability status.

IPS often leads to long-term competitive employment, but other critical recovery issues remain uncertain.