title: Disability Pensions Among Young Adults in Vocational Rehabilitation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lack of work-participation and early disability pensions (DP's) among young adults are increasing public health problems in most western European countries. The present study investigated determinants of early DP in young adults in vocational rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from 928 young adults (aged 18-40 years) attending a vocational rehabilitation program was linked to DP's recorded in the Norwegian Labor and Welfare Organization registries (1992-2010) and later compared to a group of 65 employees (workers). We used logistic regression to estimate the odds ratio for entitlement to DP following rehabilitation, adjusting for socio-demographical, psychosocial and health-behavior factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences in socio-demographical, psychosocial and health-behavior factors were found between the rehabilitation group and workers. A total of 60 individuals (6.5%) were granted a DP during follow-up. Increase in age, teenage parenthood, single status, as well as low education level and not being employed were found to be the strongest independent determinants of DP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Poor social relations (being lone), early childbearing and weak connection to working life contributed to increase in risk of DP's among young adults in vocational rehabilitation, also after adjusting for education level. These findings are important in the prevention of early disability retirements among young adults and should be considered in the development of targeted interventions aimed at individuals particularly at risk of not being integrated into future work lives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work and Health Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. arnhilrm@stud.ntnu.no.
authors.forename: Arnhild
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Myhr
authors.affiliation: Nord-Trøndelag University College, Steinkjer, Norway.
authors.forename: Tommy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Haugan
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work and Health Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.|Center for Health Promotion Research, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Geir A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Espnes
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work and Health Science, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.|Center for Health Promotion Research, Trondheim, Norway.|Department of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Health Education and Social Work, Sør-Trøndelag University College, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lillefjell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009664:Norway; D010415:Pensions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012042:Registries; D012050:Rehabilitation, Vocational; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Disability pension; Epidemiology; Norway; Pain; Social medicine; Vocational rehabilitation; Work; Young adults