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. 2010 Jul 1;110(1-2):1-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2010.01.018. Epub 2010 Mar 26.

Job loss discrimination and former substance use disorders

Marjorie L Baldwin  1 , Steven C Marcus, Jeffrey De Simone
Affiliations

Job loss discrimination and former substance use disorders

Marjorie L Baldwin et al. Drug Alcohol Depend. .

Abstract

Persons with former alcohol or drug use disorders are protected from labor market discrimination by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. They have been neglected, however, in empirical studies of labor market discrimination following implementation of the Act. We apply econometric techniques used to study other disabled groups to determine if there are significant differences in employment outcomes for persons with and without former substance use disorders and, if so, what part of these differences potentially can be attributed to employer discrimination. There are no significant differences in employment rates between persons with and without former substance use disorders, and among those who are employed no significant differences in rates of full-time employment. But persons with former substance use disorders report significantly higher rates of involuntary job loss within the previous year. Part of the differential remains unexplained after controlling for other factors that affect employment outcomes, suggesting employer discrimination may be one cause of poor job stability among this group. Certain identifiable subgroups with low levels of human capital are particularly susceptible to substance-related discrimination.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

Dr. Marcus has received grants from Ortho-McNeil Janssen and has been a consultant to Eli Lilly and Company, Bristol Myers Squibb, Astra Zeneca, and Pfizer.

Dr. Baldwin and Dr. DeSimone declare they have no conflicts of interest that could influence this research.

References

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