Despite the high prevalence of withdrawal from employment gained post-traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI), relatively few studies have examined the factors that precipitate job withdrawal. Within the context of general systems theory, the aim of the present study was to identify and classify the factors that led to job withdrawal post-tSCI. Using purposive sampling and a structured proforma, 30 participants completed an in-depth telephone interview. Job withdrawal was precipitated more frequently by micro-system (person-centred) factors or meso-system (job-related) factors than macro-system (socio-economic) factors. Micro-system factors fell into five groups (SCI-related, psychological/psychosocial, mobility, general health and knowledge/skills/abilities) as did meso-system factors (job design, psychosocial climate, ergonomics, human resources and work cycles). Two groups of macro-system factors were identified (proximal and distal). Classifying job withdrawal factors within the context of general systems theory provides an integrated framework for intervention development and furnishes decision-makers with guidance as to whether a top-down or bottom-up approach would be more feasible/beneficial to address preventable job withdrawal post-tSCI.

This study investigated pain coping profiles using the Coping Strategies Questionnaire-24 (CSQ-24) in a sample of 171 workers’ compensation clients with chronic musculoskeletal pain from Canada. Cluster analysis identified three distinct coping profiles: mixed coping, catastrophising, and positive coping. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) results revealed that the positive coping group had lower levels of activity interference and depression as well as higher levels of quality of life than the mixed coping and catastrophising groups. Study findings indicate clients with chronic musculoskeletal pain can be categorised according to pain coping strategies, and pain coping strategies used are related to rehabilitation outcomes. The implications of these pain coping profiles for rehabilitation counselling practice are discussed.

Background: Self-determination theory (SDT) has increasingly been used as a theoretical framework for evaluating key elements of the recovery paradigm in rehabilitation and mental health services research and policy-making for people living with severe mental illnesses. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to validate the Behavioral Regulation in Work Questionnaire (BRWQ), an adaptation of the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-2, as a measure of self-determined work motivation for use in psychiatric rehabilitation settings. Methods: One hundred and twenty-four individuals with severe mental illness were recruited from eight Clubhouse programmes in Hawaii. Factorial validity of the BRWQ was evaluated using exploratory factor analysis. Findings: Principal components analysis of the BRWQ yielded four factors (amotivation, external regulation, introjection and autonomous motivation). The autonomous motivation factor was found to be significantly related to other SDT constructs, including competency, relatedness, outcome expectancy and vocational rehabilitation engagement. Conclusions: The BRWQ is a psychometrically sound SDT measure for assessing self-determined work motivation and could contribute to the use of self-determination as a paradigm for improving recovery and employment outcomes of people with severe mental illness in rehabilitation settings.