Racial Differences in Employment Outcomes After Traumatic Brain Injury

• Published in: Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation Vol. 89; no. 5; pp. 988 - 995
• Main Authors: Arango-Lasprilla, Juan Carlos, PhD, Ketchum, Jessica M., PhD, Williams, Kelli, MPH, MS, OTR/L, Kreutzer, Jeffrey S., PhD, Marquez de la Plata, Carlos D., PhD, O'Neil-Pirozzi, Therese M., ScD, Wehman, Paul, PhD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-05-2008
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Brain injuries; Brain Injuries - ethnology; Brain Injuries - rehabilitation; Chi-Square Distribution; Employment; Employment - statistics & numerical data; Female; Humans; Logistic Models; Male; Middle Aged; Outcomes research; Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Race; Recovery of Function; Rehabilitation; Retrospective Studies; Rehabilitation; Outcomes research; Employment; Brain injuries; Race
• ISSN: 0003-9993; 1532-821X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2008.02.012

Abstract Arango-Lasprilla JC, Ketchum JM, Williams K, Kreutzer JS, Marquez de la Plata CD, O'Neil-Pirozzi TM, Wehman P. Racial differences in employment outcomes after traumatic brain injury. Objective To examine racial differences in employment status and occupational status 1 year after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design Retrospective study. Setting Longitudinal dataset of the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems national database. Participants Subjects with primarily moderate to severe TBI (3468 whites vs 1791 minorities) hospitalized between 1989 and 2005. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Employment status (competitively employed or unemployed) and occupational status (professional/managerial, skilled, or manual labor) at 1 year postinjury. Results Race and/or ethnicity has a significant effect on employment status at 1 year postinjury ( χ 1 2 =58.23, P <.001), after adjusting for preinjury employment status, sex, Disability Rating Scale at discharge, marital status, cause of injury, age, and education. The adjusted odds of being unemployed versus competitively employed are 2.17 times (95% confidence interval, 1.78–2.65) greater for minorities than for whites. Race and ethnicity does not have a significant effect on occupational status at 1 year postinjury. Conclusions With this empirical evidence supporting racial differences in employment outcomes between minorities and whites at 1 year postinjury, priority should be given to tailoring interventions to maximize minority survivors' work-related productivity.