Abstract
Objective
(1) Identify the proportion of participants with spinal cord dysfunction (SCD) reporting
each of 10 job benefits and compare the proportions between participants with spinal
cord injury (SCI) and multiple sclerosis (MS); and (2) examine if diagnostic criteria,
demographics, education level, and functional limitations are associated with the
number of job benefits received.
Design
Econometric modeling of cross-sectional data using a 2-step data analytic model of
employment and job benefits.
Setting
Medical university in the southeastern United States.
Participants
Participants (N=2624) were identified from the southeastern United States. After eliminating
those age 65 and older, there were 2624 adult participants with SCD; 1234 had MS and
1390 had SCI.
Interventions
Not applicable.
Main Outcome Measures
Current employment status; number of benefits received and specific benefits received.
Results
A greater proportion of participants with MS received benefits, with significant differences
observed on all but 1 type of benefit. Among those who were employed, a greater number
of benefits was associated with having MS, greater education, younger age, married
or in an unmarried couple, and not having functional restrictions with cognition,
doing errands, or shopping alone in the community, and walking.
Conclusions
Employed participants with MS were more likely to receive job benefits, indicative
of a higher quality of employment, compared to participants with SCI. Employment without
benefits is a form of underemployment that disproportionately affects individuals
with many of the same characteristics that initially lead to disparities in probability
of gainful employment.
Keywords
List of abbreviations:
CI (confidence interval), MS (multiple sclerosis), OR (odds ratio), SCD (spinal cord dysfunction), SCI (spinal cord injury)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 24, 2019
Footnotes
Supported by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (grant no. 90DP0050 and 90RT5035). The contents of this publication do not necessarily represent the policy of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research, the Administration for Community Living, or the Department of Health and Human Services, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Disclosures: none.
Identification
Copyright
© 2019 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine
