Nonvocational outcomes for clients with~severe mental illness

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Siu, Phoebe S.K. | Tsang, Hector W.H. | Bond, Gary R.

Affiliations: Neuropsychiatric Rehabilitation Laboratory, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong | Department of Psychiatry and Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center, Dartmouth Medical School, Lebanon, NH, USA

Note: [] Address for correspondence: Hector W.H. Tsang, Tel.: +1 852 2766 6750; Fax: +1 852 2330 8656; E-mail: rshtsang@polyu.edu.hk

Abstract: This study focuses primarily on the non-vocational outcomes and the changes in psychosocial functioning of individuals with severe mental illness through competitive employment. Thirteen out of 56 participants in the Individual Placement & Support (IPS) group who were competitively employed were recruited from two community based mental health settings for the first interview. Eight of them who met the selection criteria for the second interview were interviewed again for comparison. Data were collected through a tailor-made interview guide during their third and sixth months of employment and were analyzed through an inductive process. Data analyses indicated that the employed participants in the IPS group showed positive outcomes in both personal well-being and self-efficacy after three months of employment, while positive and negative impacts were obtained after six months of employment. A dynamic model was suggested based on the findings to explain the job tenure of participants. Further integration of this model to the existing supported employment model is explored.

Keywords: Mental illness, nonvocational outcomes, employment for individuals with disabilities in Hong Kong

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-2010-0491

Journal: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 15-24, 2010