title: Labor Market Integration of People with Disabilities: Results from the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to describe labor market participation (LMP) of persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) in Switzerland, to examine potential determinants of LMP, and to compare LMP between SCI and the general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed data from 1458 participants of employable age from the cross-sectional community survey of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study. Data on LMP of the Swiss general population were obtained from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. Factors associated with employment status as well as the amount of work performed in terms of full-time equivalent (FTE) were examined with regression techniques.
  
  
  RESULTS
  53.4% of the participants were employed at the time of the study. Adjusted odds of being employed were increased for males (OR = 1.73, 95% CI 1.33-2.25) and participants with paraplegia (OR = 1.78, 95% CI 1.40-2.27). The likelihood of being employed showed a significant concave relationship with age, peaking at age 40. The relation of LMP with education was s-shaped, while LMP was linearly related to time since injury. On average, employment rates were 30% lower than in the general population. Males with tetraplegia aged between 40 and 54 showed the greatest difference. From the 771 employed persons, the majority (81.7%) worked part-time with a median of 50% FTE (IRQ: 40%-80%). Men, those with younger age, higher education, incomplete lesions, and non-traumatic etiology showed significantly increased odds of working more hours per week. Significantly more people worked part-time than in the general population with the greatest difference found for males with tetraplegia aged between 40 and 54.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LMP of persons with SCI is comparatively high in Switzerland. LMP after SCI is, however, considerably lower than in the general population. Future research needs to show whether the reduced LMP in SCI reflects individual capacity adjustment, contextual constraints on higher LMP or both.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland.|University of Lucerne, Department of Health Sciences and Health Policy, Lucerne, Switzerland.|Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, Sichuan University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Jan D
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9319-665X
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Reinhardt
authors.affiliation: Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland.|Center of Excellence in Rehabilitation Medicine, Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, University Medical Center and De Hoogstraat Rehabilitation, Utrecht, the Netherlands.|University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Groningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marcel W M
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Post
authors.affiliation: Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fekete
authors.affiliation: Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland.|University of Lucerne, Department of Health Sciences and Health Policy, Lucerne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Trezzini
authors.affiliation: Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland.|University of Lucerne, Department of Health Sciences and Health Policy, Lucerne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martin W G
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Brinkhof
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries; D013557:Switzerland; D016526:Workload