Determinants of General Satisfaction With the Employment Situation Among People With Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

BackgroundSocial and environmental participation endeavors are theorized to shape one's general satisfaction with the overall employment situation facing people with MS.ObjectiveResponding to a national survey of the employment concerns of Americans with multiple sclerosis (MS), this study examined the extent to which factors at the demographic, disease-related, and social and environmental participation levels contribute to the predictability power for general satisfaction with the employment situation for people with MS.MethodParticipants in this study consisted of 1,149 members of nine National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) chapters representing 21 states and Washington, DC. In a hierarchical multiple regression analysis, participants were mostly older (average age of 50 years) White (74%) individuals, nearly half of whom were unemployed (47%) but well educated (98% were high school graduates, 45% were college graduates).FindingsFindings underscore the complexity involved in predicting how satisfied people with MS are with their overall employment situation.ConclusionsYounger, less educated individuals with higher levels of perceived quality of life who were employed full-time and experiencing no or lower levels of cognitive impairment were more likely than other participants to be satisfied with 17 high-priority employment concerns.