EMPLOYMENT AFTER SPINAL-CORD INJURY - RELATION TO SELECTED PARTICIPANT CHARACTERISTICS

Objective: To investigate the relation between selected participant ch aracteristics and employment outcomes after spinal cord injury (SCI). Previous studies produced conflicting results with widely varying empl oyment rates due to differences in study participant characteristics. Design: A field study of the employment history of a large stratified sample of people with SCI. Participants were grouped into cohorts and then compared on several employment variables using the chi square sta tistic and analysis of variance. Participants: Three hundred sixty-two persons with SCI, selected by stratified sampling according to gender , race, and age. Participants were further grouped into cohorts based on time since injury, injury severity, and years of education. Main Ou tcome Measures: Multidimensional Adjustment Profile, a specially desig ned measure of multiple outcomes after SCI. Results: The most successf ul employment outcomes were obtained by Caucasian women, persons up to the age of 29 years at injury, participants with incomplete injuries, and participants who had completed at least 16 years of education. Th e least successful outcomes were observed in minority men, participant s age 50 years or older at injury, persons with complete quadriplegia, and participants with fewer than 12 years of education. Conclusions: Results point to the need for rehabilitation professionals to make spe cial efforts to maximize employability after SCI among people with bio graphic characteristics that place them at greatest risk for unemploym ent. (C) 1996 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.