title: Work accommodations and natural supports for maintaining employment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Job tenure for people with severe mental disorders, even for those enrolled in supported employment programs, is typically brief. Few studies to date have investigated the relationship between accommodations and natural supports available in the workplace, and job tenure for this population. The main objectives of this study were to develop and to validate a new measure to describe work accommodations and natural supports available in the workplace and to determine which of them are significantly related to job tenure for participants enrolled in supported employment services.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 124 people with a severe mental disorder enrolled in supported employment programs and who obtained only one competitive employment at the 9-month follow-up answered the Work Accommodation and Natural Support Scale (WANSS). They also provided information regarding their disclosure (or non-) of mental disorders in the workplace and the length of their job tenure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Confirmatory factor analysis conducted on the WANSS showed 40 items distributed on 6 dimensions (e.g., Schedule flexibility). Correlation results showed that disclosure was significantly related to the number of work accommodations and natural supports available in the workplace. Survival analyses indicated that one WANSS dimension was more salient in predicting job tenure: Supervisor and coworker supports.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The WANSS is a valid and useful tool to assess work accommodations and natural supports available in the workplace that employment specialists could use in their practice.
authors: Center for Action in Work Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation.
authors: Marc
authors: M
authors: Corbière
authors: Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento.
authors: Patrizia
authors: P
authors: Villotti
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Montreal.
authors: Tania
authors: T
authors: Lecomte
authors: Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center.
authors: Gary R
authors: GR
authors: Bond
authors: Centre de Recherche de l'Institut Universitaire en Santé Mentale de Montréal (CRIUSMM).
authors: Alain
authors: A
authors: Lesage
authors: Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health & Addiction, Simon Fraser University.
authors: Elliot M
authors: EM
authors: Goldner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001955:British Columbia; D016832:Employment, Supported / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010563:Personnel Turnover; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration; D055815:Young Adult