Prediction of postinjury employment and percentage of time worked after spinal cord injury

Abstract

Objective: To use a 2-part model to identify biographic, injury, educational, and vocational predictors of postinjury employment and the percentage of time employed after spinal cord injury (SCI) onset.

Design: Survey.

Setting: Data were collected at 3 hospitals in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States.

Participants: Participants were adults with traumatic SCI of at least 1 year duration, all under 65 years at the time of SCI onset. A total of 1329 observations were used in the analysis.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main outcome measures: Postinjury employment, defined by whether the individual had ever been employed after SCI and percentage of time employed after SCI onset.

Results: Almost 52% of participants worked at some point in time postinjury. Among those who had worked postinjury, the mean portion of time spent working was 0.56. Several factors were significantly related to postinjury employment and portion of time worked postinjury. The probability of postinjury employment increased with successively less severe injury. However, only ambulatory participants were found to have a significantly greater portion of time postinjury among those who became employed. Having obtained either a 4-year or graduate degree after injury was associated with a greater likelihood of postinjury employment. Conversely, among those who worked postinjury, having obtained those degrees prior to injury was associated with a greater portion of time employed. Being white, a man, having completed a 4-year degree or a graduate degree, and having worked in the service industry prior to SCI onset were all associated with a greater portion of time working among those who had worked.

Conclusions: The factors precipitating PE are not identical to those associated with a greater portion of time employed after SCI onset.