Employment Among People With Spinal Cord Injury in 22 Countries Across the World: Results From the International Spinal Cord Injury Community Survey

Post MW 1 , Reinhardt JD 2 , Avellanet M 3 , Escorpizo R 4 , Engkasan JP 5 , Schwegler U 6 Show all authors , InSCI , Leiulfsrud AS 7

Affiliations 

  • 1 University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Center for Rehabilitation Medicine, Groningen, The Netherlands; Center of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, University Medical Center Utrecht and De Hoogstraat Rehabilitation, Utrecht, The Netherlands. Electronic address: m.post@dehoogstraat.nl
  • 2 Institute for Disaster Management and Reconstruction, Sichuan University and Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Chengdu, China; Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland; Department of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
  • 3 Research Group in Health Sciences and Health Services, University of Andorra, Sant Julià Lòria, Andorra; Rehabilitation Department, Hospital Nostra Sra de Meritxell, Escaldes-Engordany, Andorra
  • 4 Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland; Department of Rehabilitation and Movement Science, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT
  • 5 Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 6 Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland; Department of Health Sciences and Medicine, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland
  • 7 Department of Neuro Medicine and Movement Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway; Spinal Cord Unit, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, St Olav's University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
Arch Phys Med Rehabil, 2020 12;101(12):2157-2166.
PMID: 32673653 DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2020.05.027

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To describe the employment situation of individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) in 22 countries participating in the International Spinal Cord Injury community survey, to compare observed and predicted employment rates, to estimate gaps in employment rates among people with SCI compared with the general population, and to study differences in employment between men and women.

DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey.

SETTING: Community.

PARTICIPANTS: People of employable age (N=9875; 18-64 y) with traumatic or non-traumatic SCI (including cauda equina syndrome) who were at least 18 years of age at the time of the survey, living in the community, and able to respond to one of the available language versions of the questionnaire.

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The observed employment rate was defined as performing paid work for at least 1 hour a week, and predicted employment rate was adjusted for sample composition from mixed logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS: A total of 9875 participants were included (165-1174 per country). Considerable differences in sample composition were found. The observed worldwide employment rate was 38%. A wide variation was found across countries, ranging from 10.3% to 61.4%. Some countries showed substantially higher or lower employment rates than predicted based on the composition of their sample. Gaps between the observed employment rates among participants with SCI and the general population ranged from 14.8% to 54.8%. On average, employment rates were slightly higher among men compared with women, but with large variation across countries. Employment gaps, however, were smaller among women for most countries.

CONCLUSIONS: This first worldwide survey among people with SCI shows an average employment rate of 38%. Differences between observed and predicted employment rates across countries point at country-specific factors that warrant further investigation. Gaps with employment rates in the general population were considerable and call for actions for more inclusive labor market policies in most of the countries investigated.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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