Health-related factors for work participation in persons with spinal cord injury in Finland.
Kaarina Eskola, Eerika Koskinen, Heidi Anttila and 10 others
PMID 34888701WHAT IT FOUND
Employed people with spinal cord injury reported better physical, mental, and social health than those not working.
Physical function, pain, and ability to participate in social roles were the strongest factors linked to being at work. Age and injury severity also influenced employment likelihood.
Key findings
01Employed individuals had significantly better Physical, Mental, and Social Health scores compared to those not working.
02Physical Health was the strongest indicator for likelihood of work participation, specifically driven by physical function and pain items.
03Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities remained a significant predictor of work participation in multivariable models.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Cross-sectional design prevents establishing causality; it is unclear if health enables work or work improves health. Response rate was 49.9%, introducing potential responder bias. The sample is limited to Finland and may not generalize to other countries or healthcare systems. Employment status was self-reported without a strict definition, potentially misclassifying part-time or intermittent work.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these associations as causal. The study shows that employed people report better health, but it cannot prove that improving health will lead to employment, nor that employment causes better health.