Work and wellbeing-related consequences of different return-to-work pathways of persons with spinal cord injury living in Switzerland.

STUDY DESIGN: Observational study based on the 2012 community survey of the Swiss Spinal Cord Injury Cohort Study (SwiSCI).

OBJECTIVES: To investigate work and wellbeing-related consequences of different return-to-work (RTW) pathways after SCI.

SETTING: Community-based.

METHODS: Using a subsample of 243 SwiSCI participants, we determined whether a respondent had returned to the pre-injury employer, started with a new employer or had not returned to gainful employment post-SCI. For each pathway, descriptive statistics were provided and work and wellbeing-related consequences were examined with regression analyses.

RESULTS: One hundred eleven (45.7%) participants had returned to their pre-injury employer, 80 (32.9%) had changed employers and 52 (21.4%) had never returned to paid work post-SCI. Although returning to the pre-injury employer was associated with a shorter RTW time and a higher current weekly work time compared with starting work with a new employer, no significant differences were found with regard to current employment status and post-SCI work duration. Concerning wellbeing-related outcomes (i.e., income, quality of life and life satisfaction), the two pathways did not differ.

CONCLUSIONS: Although lasting RTW had beneficial wellbeing outcomes, the specific pathway initially taken (i.e., pre-injury vs. new employer) appeared less crucial. Although the two pathways seem equally viable, longitudinal data are required to corroborate the present findings, and future research needs to clarify the role of the client triage system and of vocational rehabilitation practices with regard to person-job match and its impact on job satisfaction and job performance.