[PH-1-7] The potential predictors of employment status for people with mental disorders living in the community
Background: It is important for clinical practitioners to understand the potential predictors of employment status when providing rehabilitation programs for people with mental disorders. The research purpose was to examine the potential predictors of employment status for people with mental disorders living in the community. Methods: 100 people (62 females; mean age: 47.23 ± 9.98 years) with mental disorders living in the community were recruited for this study. More than 90% participants were diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The employment status, salary, disease-related factors and demographic information were collected by interview and chart review. Psychiatric symptoms were assessed with Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) with a trained occupational therapist. Cognition was assessed with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Trail Making Test (TMT). Box and Block test (BBT) was used to measure hand dexterity. Resilience was measured by Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10). Social support was evaluated with Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire (NSSQ). The study was approved by the Chang Gung Medical Foundation (IRB no: 201801880B0). Logistic regression and multiple linear regression analyses were performed to analyze the potential predictors of employment status. Results: Age and hand dexterity were significant predictors for employment status. If salary was used as an index for employment status, hand dexterity, disease duration and personal recovery were significant predictors. Conclusion: Participants with younger age, higher score of hand dexterity, shorter disease duration and low level of personal recovery showed the optimal employment status and earnings.