Earnings among people with spinal cord injury

• Published in: Spinal cord Vol. 49; no. 9; pp. 986 - 989
• Main Authors: Ramakrishnan, K, Loh, S Y, Omar, Z
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01-09-2011; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/378/1687/1825; 692/700/159; 692/700/565/491; Adolescent; Adult; Anatomy; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cerebrospinal fluid. Meninges. Spinal cord; Cross-Sectional Studies; Educational Status; Employment - legislation & jurisprudence; Employment - statistics & numerical data; Employment - trends; Female; Human Physiology; Humans; Income - statistics & numerical data; Income - trends; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurochemistry; Neurology; Neuropsychology; Neurosciences; original-article; Rehabilitation, Vocational - economics; Rehabilitation, Vocational - statistics & numerical data; Rehabilitation, Vocational - trends; Spinal Cord Injuries - economics; Spinal Cord Injuries - rehabilitation; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents; Unemployment - statistics & numerical data; Unemployment - trends; Workers' Compensation - economics; Workers' Compensation - legislation & jurisprudence; Workers' Compensation - trends; Young Adult; spinal cord injuries; rehabilitation; employment; Nervous system diseases; Vertebral canal; Spinal cord trauma; Central nervous system disease; Rehabilitation; Spinal cord disease
• ISSN: 1362-4393; 1476-5624
• DOI: 10.1038/sc.2011.47

Study design:
Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data.
Objectives:
To identify differences in earnings among participants with spinal cord injury (SCI) and their relation to demographic, injury, educational and employment-related factors.
Setting:
People living with SCI in the community who were members of a disability support organization.
Methods:
A total of 76 members who have had traumatic SCI for at least 2 years, between 15 and 64 years of age at time of study and were working before SCI were interviewed over the phone. The earnings were categorized as more, same or less than before SCI or no income for those unemployed.
Results:
Of the 76 participants (who averaged about 15.1 years post SCI), only 13 participants (17.1%) were earning more than before injury, whereas majority were in the category of having no income, being unemployed at time of study,
n
=36 (47.4%). Factors positively related to earnings were having more years in education, both at time of injury and at time of survey. As anticipated, those currently in full time and paid employments were earning more while receipt of financial compensation was negatively related to earnings.
Conclusion:
Despite a lengthy period of time post SCI, only a minority were earning more, reflecting poorly on the quality of post SCI employment experience. The rehabilitation team should therefore focus on improving both educational and vocational opportunities for persons with SCI and aim for full time, paid employments. The current workers' compensation scheme renders the recipient at a static income and may need to be revised.