Work Motivation and Employment Outcomes in People with Severe Mental Illness.
Miljana Vukadin, Frederieke G Schaafsma, Sandra J Vlaar and 4 others
PMID 31154594WHAT IT FOUND
Baseline work motivation was not associated with getting a competitive job, how long it lasted, or how quickly it was found in 151 adults with severe mental illness who wanted work.
Motivation scores were narrowly spread.
Key findings
01In 149 participants analysed, baseline work motivation was not associated with getting a competitive job (OR 1.83, 95% CI 0.55 to 6.06, p = 0.32).
02In 49 participants who got a job, baseline work motivation was not associated with days worked in the first job (B = -0.74, 95% CI -2.37 to 0.89, p = 0.37).
03In 148 participants analysed, baseline work motivation was not associated with time until getting a competitive job (HR = 1.53, 95% CI 0.64 to 3.68, p = 0.34).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
All participants had to express an explicit wish for competitive employment, so the sample may have been highly motivated and had limited variability in work motivation scores. The SCION trial was not powered to answer these association questions, and only 51 of 151 participants obtained competitive employment within 30 months. The work motivation questionnaire was not originally designed or validated for people with severe mental illness. Many data were missing for five social pressure items, and most subscales had poor or questionable internal consistency, so only the total scale and the self-consciousness regarding work subscale were analysed. The data were collected between 2005 and 2011, during labour market changes related to the 2008 financial crisis. Job duration analysis included only participants who worked in a competitive job for at least 1 day.
Declared interests
The supplied text names the Dutch Social Security Institute: the Institute for Employee Benefits Schemes (UWV) as funder. It does not report author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that work motivation does not matter for employment outcomes in severe mental illness. This study found no association only among people who already wanted work, with narrow motivation scores, and it was not powered for these questions.