Effects of postsecondary education on employment outcomes and earnings of young adults with traumatic brain injuries

BACKGROUND: Gainful employment has many psychological, social, and financial benefits. Helping young adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who have academic potential to attend college will increase their chances of finding a good job with benefits that can pave the way for a great career and a middle-class life. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of college and university training on employment outcomes and earnings of young adults with TBI. METHODS: We conducted a non-experimental causal comparative study using propensity score matching to create a treatment (n = 278) and a comparison group (n = 278) using the RSA-911 data. RESULTS: Results demonstrated that young adults with TBI who received college or university training have better employment and earning outcomes than young adults without college or university training. CONCLUSIONS: Implications for state vocational rehabilitation counsellors are discussed.