The Impact of Health Behaviors and Health Management on Employment After SCI: Physical Health and Functioning

Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil, 2016 · DOI: 10.1310/sci2201-39 · Published: January 1, 2016

Spinal Cord Injury Occupational Health Healthcare

Simple Explanation

This research explores how individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) manage their health and how it affects their ability to find, keep, or leave jobs. The study found that managing health is crucial for employment after SCI, involving learning about one's body, practicing wellness, communicating needs, and dealing with aging-related issues. The decision to stop working often links to health problems from not managing health well or from aging with SCI.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

44 participants with SCI

Evidence Level

Qualitative study using focus groups

Key Findings

1
Individuals with SCI need to relearn how their body works to return to work and develop routines that support employment.
2
Maintaining health and wellness, including managing caregivers, is essential for sustaining employment after SCI.
3
Effective communication and self-advocacy are crucial for obtaining workplace accommodations that support health and continued employment.

Research Summary

This qualitative study highlights the importance of addressing health-related issues and teaching health management skills to enhance individuals’ employment outcomes across their work lifecycle. Immediately after the SCI, individuals need to relearn their body and how it functions and then condition it to meet the demands of employment. A strong connection appears to exist between poor health (whether associated with secondary conditions or aging) and the decision to leave employment and end the work lifecycle.

Practical Implications

Intervention Development

The themes identified can inform the development of interventions to enhance employment outcomes after SCI.

Clinical Practice

The data from this qualitative study should be used to inform the types of issues that are assessed in research and asked about in clinical practice.

Health Management Skills

Results highlight the importance of addressing health-related issues and teaching health management skills to enhance individuals’ employment outcomes.

Study Limitations

1
Threats to validity may come from several sources, including haphazard processing, analysis, or interpretation of the narratives
2
Failure to demonstrate construct validity, external validity, or generalizability
3
Results are not generalizable to the SCI population as a whole but provide a framework for further study of qualitative employment outcomes.

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