Predicting continued employment in persons with multiple sclerosis

This study examined predictors of continued employment among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) participating in a 7-year longitudinal study of health promotion and quality of life in MS. Participants for the present study were a subset (n=176) of a larger sample of persons with MS (N=621) who participated in the longitudinal study between the years 1996 to 2003, were employed at Time 1, and were younger than age 55. At Time 1 (1996), all participants were employed, and 75% of the sample reported full-time employment. At Time 7 (2003), only 55% reported continued employment. Forward stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that years of education, functional limitations related to MS, and health-promoting behaviors explained approximately 10.2% of the variance in employment status over time (R-2 = .102). The article discusses the importance of considering work-environmental factors in addition to disease and demographic factors in the prediction of employment outcomes for persons with MS.