Importance and satisfaction ratings on 38 key employment concerns among African American women with multiple sclerosis

Issue title: Neurological Disabilities

Guest editors: Phillip D. Rumrill Jr and Fong Chan

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Rumrill Jr., Phillip D.^{a; *} | Wu, Rongxiu^b | Goldstein, Penina^b | Adams, Chithra^b | Sheppard-Jones, Kathleen^b | Lee, Beatrice^c | Bishop, Malachy^c | Tansey, Timothy N.^c | Minton, Deborah L.^a | Leslie, Mykal J.^a

Affiliations: [a] Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA | [b] University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA | [c] University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Phillip D. Rumrill, Kent State University, P.O. Box 5190, 413 White Hall, Kent, OH 44242-0001, USA. E-mail: prumrill@kent.edu.

Abstract: OBJECTIVE:This article provides descriptive findings from a sub-sample of 143 female African Americans with multiple sclerosis (MS) who responded to a national survey of the employment concerns of Americans with MS. Respondents evaluated 38 employment concerns items on two dimensions, importance and satisfaction, for the purpose of identifying strengths and weaknesses in the employment policies and practices affecting the labor force participation of African American women with MS. RESULTS:Results revealed a unique “strength and weakness” profile of African American women with MS consisting of 16 employment strengths and 22 employment weaknesses, a combination that distinguishes this population from profiles of other MS sub-populations. CONCLUSION:Implications of these findings for future rehabilitation programming and research are examined.

Keywords: Multiple sclerosis, employment, African American women

DOI: 10.3233/JVR-191068

Journal: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 173-183, 2020