Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Dec 17;15(1):37.
doi: 10.1186/s12995-020-00288-7.

Promoting factors and barriers to participation in working life for people with spinal cord injury

Christian Sturm  1 , Andrea Bökel  2 , Christoph Korallus  2 , Veronika Geng  3 , Yorck B Kalke  4 , Rainer Abel  5 , Ines Kurze  6 , Christoph M Gutenbrunner  2
Affiliations

Promoting factors and barriers to participation in working life for people with spinal cord injury

Christian Sturm et al. J Occup Med Toxicol. .

Abstract

Background: It is still difficult for people with physical impairments to be and remain equally integrated into the labour market. For this reason, the question of occupational activity has explicitly been examined by the German Spinal Cord Injury Survey (GerSCI) in order to identify barriers and facilitators for labour market participation.

Methods: Cross-sectional explorative observational study. The GerSCI survey is the German part of the International Spinal Cord Injury Survey (InSCI). Using survey data from persons recruited at eight specialised SCI-centres in Germany.

Participants: 1.479 persons with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) aged 18 years and older.

Results: In a self-disclosure questionnaire, persons with SCI show themselves as a professionally well-educated and highly motivated group with most of them aiming at gainful employment and considering themselves fit for work. Many changeable and non-changeable factors have been found, which showed a high correlation with the return to work after acquired SCI.

Conclusion: Education and pain belong to the most critical factors and thereby possible approaches to increase the level of employment, which is essential and highly relevant not only for earning money but also for self-confidence and social integration. SCI has many dimensions in itself; support also should be multidimensional. Study results might help to improve participation.

Keywords: Disability studies; Employment; Social security; Spinal cord injuries; Unemployment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Employment rate in different age groups
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Flow chart of the causes of unemployment
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Pain grouped with or without gainful employment
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Sickness, disability and work: breaking the barriers. 2010. OECD.
    1. BIH Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Integrationsämter und Hauptfürsorgestellen. ZB Spezial Inklusionsvereinbarung.
    1. Aktion Mensch (ed.) Inklusionsbarometer 2019. https://www.aktion-mensch.de/inklusion/arbeit/inklusionsbarometer.html.
    1. Blumenthal M, Geng V, Egen C, Gutenbrunner C. Querschnittlähmung in Deutschland – Forschungsdaten zur Gesundheit, Versorgungs- und Lebenssituation Betroffener. Phys Med Rehab Kuror. 2016;26(06):303–308. doi: 10.1055/s-0042-119073. - DOI
    1. Giese R, Kaphengst C, Thietje R. Erfolg der beruflichen Wiedereingliederung bei querschnittgelähmten Rehabilitanden. In: Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund, 21. Rehabilitationswissenschaftliches Kolloquium. DRV-Schriften Band 98. 2012.

LinkOut - more resources