The impact of health behaviors and health management on employment after SCI: Physical health and functioning

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Study examined the relationship between employment and the management of physical health and functioning as described by individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) who had worked at some time after injury. Six focus groups were conducted at 2 sites and included 44 participants with SCI. Heterogeneous and homogeneous groups were created based on specific characteristics, such as education, gender, or race. A semi-structured interview format asked questions about personal, environmental, and policy-related factors influencing employment after SCI. Discussions were recorded, transcribed, and entered into NVivo software before being coded by 2 reviewers. Four overlapping themes were identified: (1) relearning one’s own body and what it can do; (2) general health and wellness behaviors; (3) communication, education, and advocacy; and (4) dealing with secondary conditions and aging. Specific themes describe the many types of behaviors individuals must master and their impact on return to work as well as on finding, maintaining, and deciding to leave employment. Individuals who are successfully employed after SCI must learn how to perform necessary behaviors to manage health and function in a work environment. The decision to leave employment often appears to be associated with secondary complications and other conditions that occur as the person with SCI ages.

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