Beyond cognition: a longitudinal investigation of the role of motivation during a vocational rehabilitation program

Abstract

Studies that have specifically examined the effects of motivation on work have been limited to evaluations of baseline motivation and have not accounted for cognition. These have also not examined whether motivation changes over time. In the current analyses, we examined how baseline motivation and longitudinal changes in motivation, along with the effects of baseline cognition, related to work function in a sample of 123 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participating in a 26-week vocational rehabilitation program. Our results indicate that cognition at baseline was a significant predictor of work outcomes over time. Baseline motivation and changes in motivation were significantly linked to work outcomes. The impact of motivation remained significant even after accounting for baseline cognition. These findings provide evidence that motivation is malleable during vocational rehabilitation and has an important impact on vocational function above and beyond the impact of cognition.