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Published Online: 12 June 2019

Modifiable Predictors of Supported Employment Outcomes Among People With Severe Mental Illness

Zanjbeel Mahmood, B.A., Amber V. Keller, B.A., Cynthia Z. Burton, Ph.D., Lea Vella, Ph.D., Georg E. Matt, Ph.D., Susan R. McGurk, Ph.D., and Elizabeth W. Twamley, Ph.D. [email protected]Authors Info & Affiliations
Publication: Psychiatric Services
Volume 70, Number 9
https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201800562
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Abstract

Objective:

Among people with severe mental illnesses, neuropsychological abilities may contribute to vocational outcomes, such as job attainment, job tenure, and wages earned. The current study aimed to determine the strongest neuropsychological and other modifiable predictors of work outcomes in 153 people with severe mental illness (schizophrenia, 38%; bipolar disorder, 24%; and major depression, 38%) who participated in a 2-year supported employment study.

Methods:

Assessments of neuropsychological performance, functional capacity, social skills, and psychiatric symptom severity were administered at baseline; work outcomes (job attainment, weeks worked, and wages earned) were collected weekly for 2 years.

Results:

Independent of education, diagnosis, and estimated intellectual functioning, more recent work history and less severe negative symptoms significantly predicted job attainment during the 2-year study. Among the 47% who obtained jobs, better global neuropsychological performance (i.e., lower global deficit score) was a significant predictor of greater weeks worked. Both global neuropsychological performance and more recent work history predicted higher wages earned.

Conclusions:

Modifiable predictors of supported employment outcomes included cognitive functioning and negative symptom severity; thus, interventions to improve these factors may improve work outcomes and decrease the loss of productivity associated with severe mental illness.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Go to Psychiatric Services
Go to Psychiatric Services
Psychiatric Services
Volume 70 • Number 9 • September 01, 2019
Pages: 782 - 792
PubMed: 31185856

History

Received: 10 December 2018
Revision received: 9 March 2019
Accepted: 11 April 2019
Published online: 12 June 2019
Published in print: September 01, 2019

Keywords

  1. schizophrenia
  2. bipolar disorder
  3. major depressive disorder
  4. cognition
  5. work
  6. vocational outcomes
  7. unemployment
  8. cognition

Authors

Details

Zanjbeel Mahmood, B.A.
San Diego State University and University of California, San Diego (SDSU/UC San Diego), Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego (Mahmood); Research Service (Mahmood, Keller) and Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (Twamley), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego (Twamley); Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Burton), Department of Quality, University of California, San Francisco Health, San Francisco (Vella); Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego (Matt); Department of Occupational Therapy and Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University, Boston (McGurk). Drs. Burton and Vella were with the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at the time of this research.
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Amber V. Keller, B.A.
San Diego State University and University of California, San Diego (SDSU/UC San Diego), Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego (Mahmood); Research Service (Mahmood, Keller) and Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (Twamley), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego (Twamley); Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Burton), Department of Quality, University of California, San Francisco Health, San Francisco (Vella); Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego (Matt); Department of Occupational Therapy and Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University, Boston (McGurk). Drs. Burton and Vella were with the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at the time of this research.
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Cynthia Z. Burton, Ph.D.
San Diego State University and University of California, San Diego (SDSU/UC San Diego), Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego (Mahmood); Research Service (Mahmood, Keller) and Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (Twamley), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego (Twamley); Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Burton), Department of Quality, University of California, San Francisco Health, San Francisco (Vella); Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego (Matt); Department of Occupational Therapy and Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University, Boston (McGurk). Drs. Burton and Vella were with the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at the time of this research.
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Lea Vella, Ph.D.
San Diego State University and University of California, San Diego (SDSU/UC San Diego), Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego (Mahmood); Research Service (Mahmood, Keller) and Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (Twamley), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego (Twamley); Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Burton), Department of Quality, University of California, San Francisco Health, San Francisco (Vella); Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego (Matt); Department of Occupational Therapy and Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University, Boston (McGurk). Drs. Burton and Vella were with the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at the time of this research.
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Georg E. Matt, Ph.D.
San Diego State University and University of California, San Diego (SDSU/UC San Diego), Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego (Mahmood); Research Service (Mahmood, Keller) and Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (Twamley), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego (Twamley); Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Burton), Department of Quality, University of California, San Francisco Health, San Francisco (Vella); Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego (Matt); Department of Occupational Therapy and Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University, Boston (McGurk). Drs. Burton and Vella were with the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at the time of this research.
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Susan R. McGurk, Ph.D.
San Diego State University and University of California, San Diego (SDSU/UC San Diego), Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego (Mahmood); Research Service (Mahmood, Keller) and Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (Twamley), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego (Twamley); Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Burton), Department of Quality, University of California, San Francisco Health, San Francisco (Vella); Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego (Matt); Department of Occupational Therapy and Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University, Boston (McGurk). Drs. Burton and Vella were with the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at the time of this research.
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Elizabeth W. Twamley, Ph.D. [email protected]
San Diego State University and University of California, San Diego (SDSU/UC San Diego), Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology, San Diego (Mahmood); Research Service (Mahmood, Keller) and Center of Excellence for Stress and Mental Health (Twamley), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego; Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego (Twamley); Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Burton), Department of Quality, University of California, San Francisco Health, San Francisco (Vella); Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego (Matt); Department of Occupational Therapy and Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University, Boston (McGurk). Drs. Burton and Vella were with the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology at the time of this research.
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Notes

Send correspondence to Dr. Twamley ([email protected]).

Competing Interests

The authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Funding Information

National Institute of Mental Healthhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000025: R01MH080150, T32MH019934
This work was funded by the National Institutes of Health (R01MH080150; T32MH019934).

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