Examining the Role of Peer Support on Work Experiences for Young Women With Disabilities

Abstract

This study examined the protective effect of perceived peer support on involvement in work experiences in a sample of 366 young women receiving special education services in 26 high schools. Career self-efficacy and career outcome expectations are well-established predictors of behaviors aimed at achieving career goals, such as obtaining work experiences. Hence, we also evaluated their role as mediators of the hypothesized effect of perceived peer support on work experiences. Regression analyses (accounting for clustering within schools) revealed that perceived peer support had an indirect effect on work experiences, with the effect being channeled through career self-efficacy, but not through career outcome expectations. Although perceived peer support was significantly associated with career self-efficacy and career outcome expectations, only career self-efficacy predicted work experiences at follow-up. Our findings suggest that perceived peer support, a relatively malleable factor, can promote career self-efficacy and career outcomes for this population.