Vocational success among at-risk, low-income young adults: Are there contributing factors?

Abstract

Due to their underrepresentation in research, little is known about factors that contribute to the vocational success of young adults who are of low socioeconomic status. Therefore, we identified such factors in this population enrolled in Ohio’s Comprehensive Case Management and Employment Program.A pre-tested and pilot-tested survey based on the Theory of Self-Efficacy was used to measure key variables related to vocational success. The internal reliability coefficients for the subscales ranged from 0.90 to 0.96. The survey was sent by text message to 374 young adults enrolled in the program.The response rate was 79 % (n = 296). Most were non-Hispanic (88.5 %), 18–24 years of age (82.3 %), female (79.7 %), and Black/African American (56.8 %). Mixed-race subjects reported the poorest mental health status compared to single-race individuals. Nearly 80 % reported experiencing “medium” to “high stress,” and 22 % reported “fair” to “poor” physical health. Vocational self-efficacy was significantly higher among respondents who (i) were parents (p < 0.05), (ii) lived with dependent children (p < 0.05), (iii) had excellent overall health (p < 0.01), and (iv) placed a higher value on obtaining a job that paid enough to pay their bills (p < 0.01). Outcome expectations were higher among those who reported having (i) low stress levels (p < 0.01), (ii) excellent overall health (p < 0.01), (iii) no barriers to achieving academic or vocational success (p < 0.01), and (iv) higher outcome value (p < 0.05). The number one barrier to vocational success identified was lack of childcare (8 %).Improving the physical and mental health of young adults is vital to positively impacting their path to vocational success. The next steps would to continue this investigation with vocational success as the outcome.