Perception of illness as a barrier to work in consumers of supported employment services

Abstract

Although supported employment (SE) helps most individuals with mental illness find employment, many continue to face significant barriers to achieving their vocational goals. In this 12-month prospective study, consumer perceptions of illness-related (e.g., medication side effects) and common (e.g., transportation) barriers to employment were assessed in relation to work and rehabilitation outcomes. At the time of SE enrollment, endorsement of illness-related barriers correlated negatively with hopefulness and quality of life, whereas endorsement of common barriers correlated negatively with clinician ratings of independent functioning. Both total barriers and common barriers correlated negatively with later employment attainment.