Job Retention Among People with Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

This article reports the results of a survey using a self-report instrument to assess how job retention among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients is affected by functional impairment, symptom severity, demographic characteristics, and the potential disincentives of savings and investments, income from a spouse, social security disability insurance (SSDI), and supplemental security income (SSI). A mail survey of New York City MS Chapter members resulted in the collection of questionnaires from 439 individuals who had been employed at diagnosis and were not currently retired. Perceived symptom severity, functional impairment, and demographic characteristics together accounted for 31% of the variance in job retention. When all other variables were controlled for, SSDI and SSI acted as disincentives, accounting for 12% of the variation in work status. When SSDI was removed from the equation, the amount of variance accounted for was reduced to 37%, with income from a spouse accounting for 5% of the variation among disincentives. While symptom severity and functional impairment played an important role in predicting job retention, other factors such as government benefits and demographic status must be considered in order to more fully understand what makes the difference between those MS patients who are employed and those who are not.