Consumers With Major Depressive Disorder: Factors Influencing Job Placement

Abstract

The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was applied to study the factors that influence the intention of public rehabilitation placement professionals to place consumers with major depressive disorder (MDD) in jobs. A sample of 108 public rehabilitation placement professionals in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States completed the MDD Placement Scale (MDDPS), which was based on the Rehabilitation Professional Survey (RPS; Hergenrather, Haase, & Rhodes, 2013; Hergenrather & Rhodes, 2004; Hergenrather, Rhodes, McDaniel, & Brown, 2003). Hypotheses were developed within the guidelines of the TPB to examine the influences of attitude (AT), subjective norm (SN), and impediments on the intention of public rehabilitation placement professionals to place a consumer with MDD in a job. The regression of AT, SN, and perceived behavioral control (PBC) yielded a statistically significant model. Study findings suggest further applications of the TPB in vocational rehabilitation research to enhance job placement outcomes.