Job Retention Among Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis: Relationship With Prediagnostic Employment and Education; Demographic Characteristics; and Disease Course, Severity, and Complications

James S. Krause, Clara L. Dismuke-Greer, Phillip Rumrill, Karla Reed, Melinda Jarnecke, Deborah Backus

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

3 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: To identify how prediagnosis employment, education, demographic statuses, and disease factors relate to job retention among people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Design: Cross-sectional logit model. Setting: Data were collected at an academic Medical University and a specialty hospital, both in the Southeastern US. Participants: People with MS (N=1126) who were employed at the time of MS diagnosis. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: Job retention was measured by employment status at the time of follow-up assessment. Results: Prediagnostic educational attainment was predictive of job retention. Among several prediagnostic employment characteristics, only working in production, transportation, and material moving was significantly related to a lower odds of job retention compared with those working in professional/managerial occupations. Aging factors were strongly related to job retention, with declines in job retention observed with increasing age and years since diagnosis. Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic participants reported lower odds of job retention than non-Hispanic White participants, although there were no observed effects of sex. A significantly lower job retention rate was observed among those with progressive MS, compared with relapsing-remitting. Job retention was also less likely among people with greater MS severity and fatigue. Conclusions: Job retention strategies and interventions should target people with greater MS complications and severity, as well as non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic persons, because these characteristics are more highly related to job retention than our prediagnostic employment and vocational history.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2355-2361
Number of pages7
JournalArchives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Volume103
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2022

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine

Keywords

  • Cognitive dysfunction
  • Employment
  • Fatigue
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Rehabilitation
  • Rehabilitation, vocational

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
  • Rehabilitation

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