title: Racial and ethnic disparities in employment outcomes for persons with traumatic brain injury: a longitudinal investigation 1-5 years after injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether differences exist in employment rates between whites, blacks, and Hispanics with traumatic brain injury (TBI) at 1, 2, or 5 years after injury; to determine whether changes occur in postinjury employment rates over time for whites, blacks, and Hispanics; and to determine whether changes in postinjury employment rates over time are different for whites, blacks, and Hispanics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen TBI Model System centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Persons (3,940) with moderate-to-severe TBI who self-reported as white, black, or Hispanic.
  
  
  METHODS
  Employment status dichotomized as competitively employed versus not competitively employed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The odds of competitive employment were significantly greater for whites versus blacks at 1, 2, and 5 years after injury and were greater for whites versus Hispanics at 1 and 2 years after injury; whites and Hispanics did not differ significantly at 5 years after injury; and blacks and Hispanics were not significantly different at 1, 2, or 5 years after injury. The odds of employment increased significantly from 1-2, 2-5, and 1-5 years after injury for whites and Hispanics, whereas the odds of employment increased from 2-5 and 1-5 years after injury for blacks, with no significant difference between 1 and 2 years after injury for blacks. No evidence was found that the changes in employment rates over time were significantly different among the race and/or ethnicity groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Future researchers should seek to identify causative factors for employment disparities, and rehabilitation professionals should work to mitigate inequalities in employment among racial and ethnic groups with TBI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23219, USA. jcarangolasp@vcu.edu
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Arango-Lasprilla
authors.forename: Jessica M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ketchum
authors.forename: Allen N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Krch
authors.forename: Kelli W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Gary
authors.forename: Brett Anthony
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Dodd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data