Experiences of individuals with serious mental disorders in regular employment through the Individual Placement and Support model.

Introduction: This study shows the perspective, meaning and satisfaction perceived by people with Serious Mental Disorders during their experiences in regular employment. Methods: A mixed qualitative-quantitative methodology was used, applying semi-structured interview as qualitative information collection tool and the Indiana Job Satisfaction Scale as quantitative tool. The study period was from January 2021 to December 2022. A purposive sampling was performed with a sample of 24 people with Serious Mental Disorders who had obtained a job through an Individual Placement and Support (IPS) program during the study period. Semi-structured interview and the Indiana Job Satisfaction Scale were applied to this Serious Mental Disorder workers' sample. The Indiana Job Satisfaction Scale was also applied to a group of 24 workers without mental disorders in the same working conditions who served as control group. Results: The results of the analyses of the Serious Mental Disorder workers' narratives show that perception of work experience is conditioned by individual, environmental and social predictors, as well as external factors as determining variables. Quantitative results obtained by the Indiana Job Satisfaction Scale reveal levels of job satisfaction resembling those of the rest of workers without Serious Mental Disorder. Discussion: These findings reinforce the significance of employment in the recovery process for individuals with Serious Mental Disorders and emphasize the importance of understanding the subjective meaning individuals attribute to their work experiences.

Cognitive remediation to improve the vocational outcomes of people with severe mental illness.

The present study investigates the effects of cognitive remediation (CR) training with Individual Placement and Support (IPS) in people suffering from severe mental illness in European population (Spanish). Sixty-five participants (83% with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder) were recruited from community mental health teams. Fifty-seven met the criteria and agreed to participate in the study. The conditions of cognitive rehabilitation were assigned randomly with support employment CR + IPS (n = 28) and IPS alone (n = 29). Two groups were followed at 8 and 12 months after the baseline. Participants in the CR + IPS group improved more than the IPS only group during the follow-up period in measures of cognitive functioning (significantly higher in executive functions, verbal learning and memory) and obtained higher employment percentages during the follow-up period, including people who got a job after 8 months (52.2% versus 29.2%, p = .023) and after 1 year (60.9% versus 37.5%, p = .025), as well as, in the weekly hours worked (37.2 versus 26.7 h, p = .023). Retention in the CR + IPS program was high (82.14%). The calculated global cognitive score showed that the evolution over time differed significantly between groups (p < .001).