EMPLOYMENT AFTER SPINAL-CORD INJURY - DIFFERENCES RELATED TO GEOGRAPHIC REGION, GENDER, AND RACE

Objective: To compare employment outcomes after spinal cord injury (SC I) as a function of several important participant characteristics. Des ign: Field study survey of the employment history of two large samples of people with SCI. Outcomes were compared as a function of multiple participant characteristics. Setting: A large rehabilitation hospital in the Southeast, with the collaboration of two Midwestern hospitals. Participants: One thousand thirty-two individuals with SCI, 597 from t he Southeast and 435 from the Midwest. Main Outcome Measures: The Life Situation Questionnaire-revised (LSQ-R), a self-report measure, was u sed to identify biographic status and to document employment history. Results: On the average, currently employed participants were Caucasia n, were younger when injured, had paraplegia, and had completed more y ears of education. Geographic differences in employment rates disappea red when controlled for multiple factors, including years of education . However, even after controlling for years of education, Caucasian pa rticipants were 2.8 times more likely than minority participants to be working at the time of the study. Conclusions: Rehabilitation profess ionals need to find creative means to identify and neutralize barriers to employment among individuals from minority groups and to identify meaningful avocations for individuals who are injured when they are ne ar retirement. (C) 1998 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Med icine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation .