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Background: Employment is central to recovery in schizophrenia, but little attention has been paid to its relationship with cognitive functioning., Objective: This cross-sectional study adds to the knowledge base of relationships between cognitive functioning and gaining competitive employment, work hours per week, and monthly income among people with schizophrenia in vocational rehabilitation. It also examines which area of cognitive function may be decisive for gaining employment., Methods: Thirty-nine vocational rehabilitation participants were administered a cognitive battery based on MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery. Socio-demographic, clinical, and vocational data were gathered and analyzed with nonparametric statistics., Results: Individuals with competitive employment differed from those without competitive employment in attention and psychomotor speed, delayed verbal recall, immediate visual recall, and planning, reasoning, and problem-solving. Higher scores in immediate and delayed verbal recall and planning, reasoning, and problem-solving correlated with more work hours per week and higher income. Immediate visual recall was related to higher income. Higher scores in planning, reasoning, and problem-solving was an indicator of competitive employment (OR = 1.48)., Conclusions: Higher order cognitive functioning of planning, reasoning, and problem-solving may have a central role in gaining employment. The findings should be considered in compensation for or improving cognitive functions for vocational rehabilitation participants.

Objective: People with severe mental illness are often successful in gaining work when participating in the evidence-based Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach. Little evidence exists on how starting work is perceived by IPS participants. This qualitative study aimed to explore how IPS participants perceived working and the work environment to impact on their work performance., Methods: Nineteen participants starting work in mainstream work settings were interviewed. Questions from the Work Environment Impact Scale were used and data was analysed by content analysis. The participants strove to fit in by coping with environmental demands and adapting to their worker role., Results: Work was perceived as having a positive impact on their daily life, although starting work was perceived as a challenge and the mental illness affected work performance. Personal strategies were needed in order to cope. They perceived both supportive and demanding factors in their work environments, such as the employer's support and the social atmosphere among colleagues., Conclusion: The study showed that it is vital to focus on the individual's own strategies for adapting to the worker role when designing the support, as well as to develop collaborative relationships with employers and to optimize the match between the individual and the demands of the work environment.

Objectives: There is great variability in the rate of return to work for persons who have suffered from brain injury. The aims of this study was: 1) to describe employment status of persons with stroke or traumatic brain injury, one year after the incident and 2) to investigate the impact of injury/stroke severity, length of stay, the ability to perform activities of daily living and cognitive function on return to work., Participants and Methods: Information was collected from 72 persons; 48 with a diagnosis of stroke and 24 with a traumatic brain injury. All patients had attended to a Rehabilitation Centre with inpatient and outpatient facilities. Data of the above mentioned variables was gathered retrospectively and information about employment status was retrieved from the medical records., Results: After one year, 13 persons (approximately 18%), 5 with a stroke and 8 with a traumatic brain injury (one with mild brain injury, 9 with moderate and 3 persons with severe injuries) had returned to work. They had significantly shorter length of stay at the rehabilitation hospital and were younger than those that did not return to work. Somewhat better results at the neuropsychological screening were seen among those that returned to work, although with a significant difference only in the subscale assessing affect. Some persons with severe injury returned to work, while a majority of those with mild brain injury did not., Conclusion: Traumatic brain injury, younger age and less need of rehabilitation were associated with a higher rate of returning to work. Patients with stroke were older and seem to need more support in order to be successful in work return. It is of importance to reach primary rehabilitation goals, such as being ADL independent, as this was also favourable for work return. The impact of injury severity seemed complex and should to be further explored. Persons with mild brain injury should be followed-up with respect to work return. An important cognitive factor was ability to perceive and express affective responses, reflecting the need of social skills in today's work-life.

Objectives: To examine the recovery of cognitive function, activities of daily living (ADL) ability and vocational situation after stroke., Materials and Methods: Subjects below 65 years of age were included. Cognitive function and personal and instrumental ADL were assessed at discharge and at 1 year. Pre-stroke vocational situation was recorded at baseline and at 1 and 3 years after discharge., Results: Fifty-eight patients participated. During the first year after discharge, cognitive function and ADL ability improved. At 1 year after discharge, 83% still had cognitive dysfunction, 20% were dependent in ADL and few had returned to work. Only 20% returned to gainful employment 3 years later., Conclusions: There was a recovery of cognition and ADL function after stroke but few persons returned to work. Good neurological status was found to be a significant factor and recovery of cognitive function a near-significant factor for return to work.