Highlights
- •Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients completed a vocational survey every three months.
- •Stably employed patients, those who lost work and healthy controls are compared.
- •Before job loss, group differences were noted in clinical and workplace variables.
- •MS patients who lost work were more likely to report negative work events.
- •Evaluation of negative work events can be used in timely vocational intervention.
Abstract
Purpose
Determine if a recently validated online survey of negative work events can predict
future job loss among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.
Method
Evaluated were 284 employed individuals (63 healthy controls, 221 MS patients), every
three months, using an online vocational monitoring tool. Job loss rates in MS patients
were compared with the healthy controls. Survey responses from MS patients suffering
job loss (n = 23) were then compared to those maintaining employment. Analyses focused on the frequency
of negative work events.
Results
While 23 (10%) of MS patients lost their job after baseline, there was no job loss
among the healthy controls. Compared to stably employed patients, those suffering
job loss had been diagnosed with MS later in life, were more likely to report a progressive
disease course, and had greater physical disability as measured by the Patient Derived
Disease Steps (PDDS). Declining patients were also more likely to report negative
work events within three months of job loss (e.g., verbal criticism for errors or
removal of responsibilities). Stepwise logistic regression predicting MS job loss
retained the PDDS, age at diagnosis, years working for employer and reporting a negative
work event.
Conclusions
The results show that physical disability and patient reported risk factors for job
loss can be monitored using an online survey tool. The tool can trigger clinical assessments
to help prevent unemployment and assist patients in procuring disability benefits.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of the Neurological SciencesAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Factors influencing work retention for people with multiple sclerosis: cross-sectional studies using qualitative and quantitative methods.J. Neurol. 2005; 252: 892-896
- Factors that influence the employment status of people with multiple sclerosis: a multi-national study.J. Neurol. 2009; 256: 1989-1996
- The cost and benefits of employment: a qualitative study of experiences of persons with multiple sclerosis.Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2004; 85: 201-209
- Perceived strengths and weaknesses in employment policies and services among people with multiple sclerosis: results of a national survey.Work. 2003; 21: 25-36
- A systematic review of research undertaken in vocational rehabilitation for people with multiple sclerosis.Disabil. Rehabil. 2012; 34: 2031-2038
- Predicting quality of life in multiple sclerosis: accounting for physical disability, fatigue, cognition, mood disorder, personality, and behavior change.J. Neurol. Sci. 2005; 29–34
- Cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis. II. Impact on employment and social functioning.Neurology. 1991; 41: 692-696
- Unemployment in multiple sclerosis (MS): utility of the MS functional composite and cognitive testing.Multiple Sclerosis J. 2014; 20: 112-115
- Disclosure of disease status among employed multiple sclerosis patients: association with negative work events and accommodations.Mult. Scler. 2015; 21: 225-234
- Negative work events and accommodations in employed multiple sclerosis patients.Mult. Scler. J. 2014; 20: 116-119
- Demographic and clinical factors associated with changes in employment in multiple sclerosis.Multiple Sclerosis J. 2013; 19: 1647-1654
- Unemployment in multiple sclerosis: the contribution of personality and disease.Mult. Scler. J. 2012; 18: 647-653
- The multiple sclerosis work difficulties questionnaire.Mult. Scler. 2012; 18: 871-880
- Predicting employment status in multiple sclerosis patients: the utility of the MS functional composite.J. Neurol. 2011; 258: 244-249
- Predictors of employment status for people with multiple sclerosis.Rehab. Counsel. Bull. 2004; 47: 96-103
- Determinants of employment status among people with multiple sclerosis.Rehab. Counsel. Bull. 2001; 45: 31-39
- A survey of multiple sclerosis: II. Determinants of employment status.Can. J. Rehab. 1991; 4: 127-132
- Multiple sclerosis and the prospects for employment.J. Soc Occup. Med. 1981; 31: 134-138
- Predicting loss of employment over three years in multiple sclerosis: clinically meaningful cognitive decline.Clin. Neuropsychol. 2010; 24: 1131-1145
- Cognitive dysfunction in early-onset multiple sclerosis: a reappraisal after 10 years.Arch. Neurol. 2001; 58: 1602-1606
- Evaluation of the symbol digit modalities test (SDMT) and MS neuropsychological screening questionnaire (MSNQ) in natalizumab-treated MS patients over 48 weeks.Mult. Scler. 2010; 16: 1385-1392
- Validation of the Multiple Sclerosis Neuropsychological Screening Questionnaire in Argentina.Mult. Scler. 2009; 15: 244-250
- Screening for multiple sclerosis cognitive impairment using a self-administered 15-item questionnaire.Mult. Scler. 2003; 9: 95-101
- Disease steps in multiple sclerosis: a simple approach to evaluate disease progression.Neurology. 1995; 45: 251-255
- Work performance by persons with multiple sclerosis: conditions that impede or enable the performance of work.Int. J. Nurs. Stud. 1989; 26: 301-311
- Employment in individuals with multiple sclerosis.Int. J. Rehabil. Res. 1986; 9: 155-166
- The relationship of perceived work site barriers to job mastery and job satisfaction for employed people with multiple sclerosis.Rehab. Counsel. Bull. 1995; 39: 2-14
- Multiple sclerosis and employment barriers: a systemic perspective on diagnosis and intervention.Work. 2003; 21 (Reading, Mass): 17-23
- An empowerment model of workplace support following disclosure, for people with MS.Mult. Scler. 2014; 20 (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England): 1624-1632
- Relationship of the Multiple Sclerosis Neuropsychological Questionnaire (MSNQ) to functional, emotional, and neuropsychological outcomes.Arch. Clin. Neuropsychol. 2007; 22: 933-948
- Barriers for people with multiple sclerosis who want to work: a qualitative study.Neurorehabil. Neural Repair. 1998; 12: 139-146
Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 23, 2015
Accepted:
July 21,
2015
Received in revised form:
July 11,
2015
Received:
May 22,
2015
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Elsevier B.V. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
