Publication Date
11-20-2024
Document Type
Article
Abstract
Young adults with Cerebral Palsy (CP) have lower employment rates compared to young adults in general, as they may be confronted with physical, sensory, and cognitive impairments, coupled with personal and societal barriers as they mature. These challenges are clear, but the solutions are less so. Understanding the factors that impact employment is vital. This study aimed to identify and examine variables related to employment for this population through the lens of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) model. The Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA-911) federal dataset was used to examine the relationship between functioning and disability within the context of personal and environmental factors as predictors of employment among young adults with CP. Following a descriptive cross-sectional design using a secondary analysis of this national dataset, binomial logistic regression was used to predict employment outcomes. Data representing those with CP who participated in vocational rehabilitation (VR) services and were between 18 and 30 years of age at the time of exit were extracted from the 2019 RSA-911 dataset (n = 2465). Just under one third (30.4%, n = 750) emerged as employed, while 69.6% (n = 1715) were unemployed at exit from their VR programs in 2019. Significant predictors for employment were participation in career and other support services, having basic skills and literacy, and being of non-Hispanic/Latino ethnicity. These findings concur with the persistent low employment rates for adults with CP and reinforce the need to understand the factors that increase employability. Healthcare professionals are urged to incorporate participation in self-management activities for all transition-aged youth that will not only improve health outcomes but promote future independence and increase awareness of vocational services for this population.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hctj.2024.100083
Journal Title
Health Care Transitions
Volume (Issue)
2
Journal ISSN
2949-9232
Recommended Citation
del Rosario, Eduardo Santos; Mannino, Jennifer Emilie Ph.D., R.N., CNE; Eckardt, Patricia A.; and DiStefano, Dawn DPS, "The state of employment in the United States among young adults with cerebral palsy" (2024). Nursing: Faculty Publications. 5.
https://digitalcommons.molloy.edu/nur_facpub/5
Document Version
Publisher's PDF
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
