Work experiences, resources, and beliefs among vulnerable subgroups of mental health care users.
Mona Eklund, Jan-Åke Jansson, Lisa Eklund and 2 others
PMID 34487010WHAT IT FOUND
Three vulnerable groups with mental illness all reported very low belief in their future worker role, despite different life situations.
People with substance use history had the least recent work experience. Recent immigrants had the most work experience but the lowest quality of life. Young people with psychosis had the fewest perceived resources for work.
Key findings
01All three groups rated their belief in a future worker role very low, with a mean score around 1.9 on a five-point scale, which is far below the 4.2 mean seen in people on long-term sick leave.
02Participants with a history of substance use disorder reported the lowest recent work or study experience and the lowest satisfaction with that experience, despite having the highest educational level and least severe symptoms.
03Recent immigrants had the highest level of recent work or study experience and the best psychosocial functioning, but reported the lowest quality of life and satisfaction with everyday activities.
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
Convenience sampling was used, and the study did not reach the sample size indicated by power analysis (60 per group), creating a risk of Type-2 errors. The groups differed significantly in age, diagnosis, and education, making it difficult to isolate the effect of the specific vulnerability (e.g., immigration vs. substance use) from these baseline characteristics. The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot determine if low worker role beliefs cause poor employment outcomes or vice versa. The authors note that findings should not be generalized to other settings or other vulnerable groups with mental illness.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding sources are reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that recent immigrants have better employment prospects simply because they reported more recent work or study experience. This finding may reflect participation in mandatory language classes and center-based activities rather than open-market employment, and this group reported the lowest quality of life and satisfaction with everyday activities.