Impact of integrated supported employment program on people with schizophrenia: perspectives of participants and caregivers

Purpose: This qualitative study explores and compares the views of participants with schizophrenia and their family caregivers on the impact of Integrated Supported Employment (ISE) program in mainland China on their recovery. Focus has been put on the participants' motivation to join the program; the difficulties encountered and the solutions; the gains; and the meaning of work before and after the program. Methods: With interview guides, individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted among 15 participants and 15 caregivers respectively. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using an inductive approach. Results: The findings revealed commonalities and discrepancies on the views of two groups of respondents on various aspects of ISE contributing to positive employment outcomes including enlightenment on meaning of work in relation to recovery, empowerment to taking responsibilities in the return-to-work process, the step-wise nature of the training protocol, and the crucial role of the case workers in the continuous follow-up. Conclusions: The policy and service implications based on the results to promote psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery of the 7.8 million of people with schizophrenia through ISE and related programs in China are generated. With careful consideration of potential socio-cultural differences, the findings may also serve as good references for researchers and clinicians in other Chinese societies such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Severe mental illness (SMI) leads to short-term and long-term disabilities worldwide (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2009a). In China, more than 7.8 million people have schizophrenia (Xinhua News Agency, 2007) who [...]