Correlates of Obtaining Employment among Veterans Receiving Treatment for Severe PTSD in Specialized Intensive Programs

This study examines rates and correlates of transitioning from not being employed at admission to working four months after discharge using national Veterans Health Administration (VHA) program evaluation data on veterans engaged in specialized intensive PTSD treatment (N = 27,339). Results suggest that only 5.68% of the sample made the transition to employment while 10.6% lost employment, 8.9% worked both at admission and following discharge, and 74.9%, did not work either at admission or following discharge. Multinomial regression analysis found that compared to other groups, veterans who became employed were younger, less likely to receive service-connected disability payments, and experienced a significantly greater reduction in PTSD symptoms. Findings from this study highlight that this distinct population has very poor employment outcomes and deserve s more attention, and that reducing PTSD symptoms can lead to improved employment outcomes. Efforts to integrate evidence-based vocational rehabilitation practice into residential PTSD treatment targeting PTSD symptoms is encouraged.
Source: Psychiatric Quarterly - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research