This investigation was a baseline study to determine if the speed of return to work could be predicted for people with psychiatric disabilities in a private sector setting. Participants with psychiatric disability claims who returned to work (N = 300) were obtained from a nationwide Fortune 500 insurance company. The authors compared the speed of return to work for the participants, as measured by days on claim, among the levels of demographic and vocational variables. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated that several vocational variables were significant predictors. Participants who were not self-employed were found to have significantly (p < .01) fewer days on claim than participants who were self-employed. Predisability occupational experience and age at return to work were significant (p < .05) predictors of return to work. The low R2 value does constrain how these results may be generalized to this particular population. Surprisingly, many of the factors that were predictive of return to work in populations studied in the public sector were not significant in the present investigation. Implications for disability insurers, rehabilitation counselors, and people with psychiatric disabilities are discussed.
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