A Multicentre Analysis Of Employment Post-Spinal Cord Injury In Malaysia

Chai, Chau Chung and Julia, Patrick Engkasan and Chan, Soo Chin and Nazirah, Hasnan (2023) A Multicentre Analysis Of Employment Post-Spinal Cord Injury In Malaysia. American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 102 (4). a216-a216. ISSN 0894-9115

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Employment outcome post-spinal cord injury (SCI) varies internationally due to different socioeconomic backgrounds. However, most previous studies were done in developed countries, with limited studies from developing countries like Malaysia. This research aims to study the employment rate, positive determinants of employment, and reasons for unemployment post-SCI in Malaysia. DESIGN: We conducted a cross-sectional multicentre survey study in Malaysia. This study included eight hospitals with inpatient rehabilitation services and one SCI organisation throughout Malaysia. 280 SCI individuals from 18 to 64 years old with more than one year of SCI duration participated in this study. We administered International Spinal Cord Injury (InSCI) Questionnaires to them. We extracted and analysed the relevant components like demographics, injury-related and work-related data. We identified significant positive determinants of employment by using logistic regression analyses with p-value <0.05 between categorical independent variables and employment status. We described reasons for unemployment post-SCI in frequencies of percentages. RESULTS: The employment rate post-SCI in Malaysia was 29%. Significant positive determinants of employment post-SCI in Malaysia identified from logistic regression analyses with higher odds of employment were female gender (OR [Odds Ratio]: 2.2, 95%, CI [Confidence Interval]: 1.1-4.2); being married (OR: 1.9, CI:1.1-3.4); and tertiary education (OR: 3.2, CI: 1.6-6.8. The five main reasons for unemployment post-SCI in Malaysia were health condition or disability (36.5%), inability to find suitable work (15.5%), not knowing how or where to seek work (11.5%), lack of accessibility to potential workplace (7.4%), and insufficient transportation services (6.2%) CONCLUSION: This study reported a low employment rate post-SCI in Malaysia. Tertiary education was a strong positive determinant of employment. Based on this study ’ s findings, suggested interventions focus on access to tertiary education, health condition optimisation, vocational guidance, exploration of telework options, creating a barrier-free environment, and provision of sufficient transportation services can raise the employment rate post-SCI.

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