Employment after Spinal Cord Injury in Norway: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Erling F. Solheim; Annelie Schedin Leiulfsrud

doi:10.16993/sjdr.322

Employment after Spinal Cord Injury in Norway: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research

Volume 20 (2018): Issue 1

By: Erling F. Solheim and Annelie Schedin Leiulfsrud

Open Access

|Apr 2018

Abstract

Two research questions are addressed: 1) What predicts employment among persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) in Norway? 2) How do the employed compare with the non-employed in their job motivation, labour discrimination, quality of life, everyday coping, health and pain suffering? We use a cross-sectional survey from 2012. With a 51% response rate, 320 Norwegians aged 21–66 years with SCI participated. After injury, 69.5% were employed, and 44.5% remained employed at the time of the interview. There was no gender difference in employment. Among men and women, age at onset of SCI, ability to continue working in the same organisation and education was associated with employment. For men paraplegia and vocational rehabilitation were also significant. Occupational class was non-significant among both men and women. Job motivation and work ability could have affected past employment, and both the employed and non-employed supported the statement that employers discriminate against wheelchair users.

References

Abma, Femke I., Ute Bültman, Inge Varekamp, and Jac J. L. van der Kling. 2013. “Workers with Health Problems: Three Perspectives on Functioning at Work.” Disability and Rehabilitation 35(1): 20–26. DOI: 10.3109/09638288.2012.687027
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Anderson, Carina J., and Laurence C. Vogel. 2002. “Employment Outcomes of Adults Who Sustained Spinal Cord Injuries as Children or Adolescents.” Archives of Physical Medicine Rehabilitation 83(6): 791–801. DOI: 10.1053/apmr.2002.32742
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Anvik, Cecilie. 2006. Mellom drøm og virkelighet? Unge funksjonshemmede i overganger mellom utdanning og arbeidsliv [Between Dream and Reality? Young People with a Disability between Education and Working Life]. NF-report no 17/06. Bodø: Nordlandsforskning.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Fekete, Christine, Morten Wahrendorf, Jan D. Reinhardt, Marcel W. Post, and Johannes Siegrist. 2014. “Work Stress and Quality of Life in Persons with Disabilities from Four European Countries: The Case of Spinal Cord Injury.” Quality of Life Research 23: 1661–1671. DOI: 10.1007/s11136-013-0610-7
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Ferdiana, Astri, Marcel W. Post, Sonja Van de Groot, Ute Bültmann, and Jac J. van der Klink. 2014. “Predictors of Return to Work 5 Years after Discharge for Wheelchair-dependent Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury.” Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 46(10): 984–90. DOI: 10.2340/16501977-1873
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Halvorsen, Annette, and Ann Louise Pettersen. 2014. NorSCIR årsrapport 2013 med plan for forbedringstiltak [The Norwegian Spinal Cord Registry Annual Report 2013. Norwegian Spinal Cord Registry]. Trondheim: St Olav University Hospital.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Jensberg, Heidi, Roland Mandal, and Erling Solheim. 2012. Den kjønnsdelte arbeidsmarkedet 1990–2010 [The Gender-divided Labour Market 1990–2010]. Sintef/Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Sintef Research Report (A21906).
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Krause, James S., and Karla S. Reed. 2009. “Obtaining Employment after Spinal Cord Injury: Relationship with Pre- and Post-injury Education.” Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin 53: 27–33. DOI: 10.1177/0034355208329443
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Krause, James S., and Karla S. Reed. 2011. “Barriers and Facilitators to Employment after Spinal Cord Injury: Underlying Dimensions and Their Relationship to Labor Force Participation.” Spinal Cord 49: 285–91. DOI: 10.1038/sc.2010.110
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Krause, James S., Lee L. Saunders, and Joshua Acuna. 2012. “Gainful Employment and Risk of Mortality after Spinal Cord Injury: Effects beyond That of Demographic, Injury and Socioeconomic Factors.” Spinal Cord 50: 784–788. DOI: 10.1038/sc.2012.49
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Lidal, Ingeborg B., Nils Hjeltnes, Jo Røislien, Johan K. Stanghelle, and Fin Biering-Sørensen. 2009. “Employment of Persons with Spinal Cord Lesions Injured More Than 20 Years Ago.” Disability and Rehabilitation 31: 2174–2184. DOI: 10.3109/09638280902946952
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Lidal, Ingeborg B., Tuan K. Huyhn, and Fin Biering-Sørensen. 2007. “Return to Work Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Review.” Disability and Rehabilitation 29: 1341–75. DOI: 10.1080/09638280701320839
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Mood, Carina. 2010. “Logistic Regression: Why We Cannot Do What We Think We Can Do, and What We Can Do about It.” European Sociological Review 26(1): 67–82. DOI: 10.1093/esr/jcp006
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
OECD. 2010. Sickness, Disability and Work: Breaking the Barriers. A Synthesis of Findings across OECD Countries. Paris: OECD Publications.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Ottomanelli, Lisa, and Lisa Lind. 2009. “Review of Critical Factors Related to Employment after Spinal Cord Injury: Implications for Research and Vocational Services.” Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine 32: 503–31. DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2009.11754553
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Ramakrishnan, Kumaran, Mazlina Mazlan, Patrick E. Julia, and Lydia A. Latif. 2011. “Return to Work after Spinal Cord Injury: Factors Related to Time to First Job.” Spinal Cord 49: 924–927. DOI: 10.1038/sc.2011.16
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Rose, David, Eric Harrison, and David Pevalin. 2010. “The European Socio-economic Classification: A Prolegomenon.” In: Social Class in Europe: An Introduction to the European Socio-economic Classification, D. Rose, and E. Harrison (eds.). London, New York: Routledge.
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Schedin Leiulfsrud, Annelie, Jan D. Reinhardt, Anne Ostermann, Kaisa Ruoranen, and Marcel W. M. Post. 2014. “The Value of Employment for People Living with Spinal Cord Injury in Norway.” Disability and Society 29(8): 1177–1191. DOI: 10.1080/09687599.2014.916606
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Svanlund, Jørgen, and Inger Lise Skog Hansen. 2013. Innkludering av personer med nedsatt funksjonsevne i arbeidslivet [Inclusion of People with Reduced Functioning in the Labour Market). Oslo: FAFO Report (2013: 54).
Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Tomassen, Patrice C., Marcel W. Post, and Floris W. van Asbeck. 2000. “Return to Work after Spinal Cord Injury.” Spinal Cord 38(1): 51–55. DOI: 10.1038/sj.sc.3100948
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Valtonen, Kirsi, Ann-Katrin Karlsson, Hannu Alaranta, and Eira Viikari Juntara. 2006. “Work Participation among Persons with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury and Meningomyelocele.” Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine 38: 192–200. DOI: 10.1080/16501970500522739
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Wik, Sigrid E., and Jan Tøssebro. 2014. “Motivation for Work among Non-working Disabled People in Norway in a Life Course Perspective. ALTER – European Journal of Disability Research 8(1): 40–52. DOI: 10.1016/j.alter.2013.11.002
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article
Young, Amanda E. 2009. “Return-to-Work Experiences Prior to Receiving Vocational Services.” Disability and Rehabilitation 31(24): 2013–2022. DOI: 10.3109/09638280902887412
Open DOI Search in Google Scholar Back to article

Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.16993/sjdr.322 | Journal eISSN: 1745-3011

Journal RSS Feed

Language: English

Page range: 197 - 209

Submitted on: Nov 16, 2017

Accepted on: Jan 1, 2018

Published on: Apr 12, 2018

Published by: Stockholm University Press

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

Spinal cord injury,

Employment,

Attitudes toward work,

Quality of life,

Norway

© 2018 Erling F. Solheim, Annelie Schedin Leiulfsrud, published by Stockholm University Press
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 20 (2018): Issue 1