Employment after spinal cord injury: differences related to geographic region, gender, and race

To compare employment outcomes after spinal cord injury (SCI) as a function of several important participant characteristics.

Field study survey of the employment history of two large samples of people with SCI. Outcomes were compared as a function of multiple participant characteristics.

A large rehabilitation hospital in the Southeast, with the collaboration of two Midwestern hospitals.

One thousand thirty-two individuals with SCI, 597 from the Southeast and 435 from the Midwest.

The Life Situation Questionnaire-revised (LSQ-R), a self-report measure, was used to identify biographic status and to document employment history.

On the average, currently employed participants were Caucasian, were younger when injured, had paraplegia, and had completed more years of education. Geographic differences in employment rates disappeared when controlled for multiple factors, including years of education. However, even after controlling for years of education, Caucasian participants were 2.8 times more likely than minority participants to be working at the time of the study.

Rehabilitation professionals need to find creative means to identify and neutralize barriers to employment among individuals from minority groups and to identify meaningful avocations for individuals who are injured when they are near retirement.