Correlates of long-term unemployment among inner-city adults with serious and persistent mental illness.
This study identified demographic, clinical, and vocational rehabilitation-related correlates of long-term unemployment among 219 adults with severe mental illness. Fifty-one percent of the sample had been unemployed five or more years before enrollment. Older age, a diagnosis of psychosis, severity of negative symptoms, and more previous hospitalizations were all significantly related to long-term unemployment. Gender, race, education, substance disorder diagnosis, severity of negative symptoms, and vocational training experience were not. The findings underscore the relevance of clinical and neurocognitive impairments to long-term unemployment and point to the need to critically reevaluate the effectiveness of traditional vocational rehabilitation services.
Goldberg
R W
RW
Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland, Baltimore 21201, USA. rgoldber@umpsy.umaryland.edu
Lucksted
A
A
McNary
S
S
Gold
J M
JM
Dixon
L
L
Lehman
A
A
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015142:Baltimore; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011618:Psychotic Disorders; D012041:Regional Medical Programs; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D014478:Unemployment