Mental health and quality of life among veterans employed as peer and vocational rehabilitation specialists
Authors
Eisen, Susan V.Mueller, Lisa N.
Chang, Bei-Hung
Resnick, Sandra G.
Schultz, Mark R.
Clark, Jack A.
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Quantitative Health SciencesDocument Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2015-04-01Keywords
Health Services ResearchMental and Social Health
Psychiatry
Psychiatry and Psychology
Psychology
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
OBJECTIVE: The study compared employment experiences, mental health recovery, and quality of life among peer specialists and vocational rehabilitation (VR) specialists hired by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the VR specialists under the Homeless Veterans Supported Employment Program. Employment characteristics associated with mental health recovery were examined. METHODS: The study was a national, observational survey of 152 peer specialists and 222 VR specialists across 138 VA health care systems in 49 states. The survey, administered over the Internet, included measures describing participant characteristics, employment factors, mental health, and quality of life. The two cohorts were compared by using t tests or chi square tests. Multiple regression analysis controlling for participant characteristics was used to identify employment factors associated with mental health and quality of life. RESULTS: Peer specialists were more likely than VR specialists to share recovery stories, serve as a role model or mentor, and advocate for veterans. Activities by VR specialists tended to focus more narrowly on job skills. Overall, after adjusting for multiple comparisons, the analysis found high levels of mental health and average quality of life for both cohorts, with no significant differences between the groups. Satisfaction with amount of supervision was consistently associated with aspects of mental health recovery, including work-related and helping-related quality of life, for both cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlight the value of work and the importance of supervision in realizing both the adoption of recovery-oriented services and the promotion of mental health in a community of veterans serving each other.Source
Psychiatr Serv. 2015 Apr 1;66(4):381-8. doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.201400105. Epub 2015 Jan 2. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1176/appi.ps.201400105Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/46708PubMed ID
25555066Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1176/appi.ps.201400105