Molly K. Tschopp

Gainful Employment Reduces Stigma Toward People Recovering from Schizophrenia

Stigma impedes the social integration of persons recovering from psychiatric disability, especially those with criminal histories. Little is known about factors that lessen this stigma. Four hundred and four adults listened to one of four vignettes describing a 25-year-old male with schizophrenia and responded to a standard set of items measuring social distance. The individual who was gainfully employed (vs. unemployed), or who had a prior misdemeanor (vs. felony) criminal offense, elicited significantly less stigma. Employment may destigmatize a person coping with both psychiatric disability and a criminal record. Mental health services should encourage paid employment and other paths to community integration.

Self-Management, Perceived Control, and Subjective Quality of Life in Multiple Sclerosis: An Exploratory Study

Self-management has been shown to increase perceived control over both illness and nonillness aspects of life among people with chronic conditions but has not received significant research attention among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Based on relationships proposed in the illness intrusiveness and disability centrality models, this study explored the relationships between subjective and objective measures of MS impact, self-management, perceived control, and subjective quality of life (SQOL). A sample of 157 adults with MS participated in this research. The results suggest that self-management is strongly associated with perceived control and that both perceived control and self-management mediate the relationship between MS impact and SQOL. The rehabilitation counseling implications of these findings are discussed.

Consumer Perceptions of Assertive Community Treatment Interventions

The issue of coercion in community-based mental health programs is frequently linked to the development of the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model. Sixty-five adults diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness, participating in an ACT model program, completed measures that assessed elements of coercion and the perceived frequency of use of ACT staff therapeutic limit setting activities, as well as the relationships between coercion, empowerment, quality of life, and the working alliance. On average, participants did not perceive high degrees of coercion or negative pressures and did not feel excluded from the process of making decisions. On the continuum of restrictiveness of therapeutic limit setting activities, participants perceived staff to be using less restrictive therapeutic limit setting activities more frequently. Elements of perceived coercion and specific activities were negatively related to quality of life, sense of empowerment, and the working alliance.

Family Resiliency, Uncertainty, Optimism, and the Quality of Life of Individuals with HIV/AIDS.

The purpose of the study is to contribute to the understanding of quality of life as it is experienced by a community-based, nonclinical sample of individuals with HIV/AIDS by applying family resiliency theory and cognitive appraisal concepts of uncertainty and optimism. Through the use of a Web-based survey, 125 individuals with HIV/AIDS completed an online questionnaire. Disease progression, as measured by CD4 count, is not found to be related to quality of life. When considered separately, both the family resiliency variables and the cognitive appraisal variables are found to predict quality of life. The overall prediction model, composed of the three sets of predictor variables—cognitive appraisal, family resiliency, and disease progression—is found to explain over 60% of the variance in quality of life of people with HIV/AIDS.

Empowerment variables for rehabilitation clients on perceived beliefs concerning work quality of life domains

This article describes and presents an initial analysis of variables generally associated with empowerment towards perceived beliefs concerning quality of life work domains for individuals with disabilities. The model examines the domains of importance, satisfaction, control and degree of interference of disability that an individual feels towards work. The internet based study used results from 70 individuals with disabilities in varying aspects of work. The variables composing empowerment that correlated strongly with the work domains include: self-advocacy, self-efficacy, perceived stigma, and family resiliency as measured through coping. Quality of Life concerning work was measured through the DSC-C a domain specific QOL instrument.

Employment considerations for individuals with psychiatric disabilities and criminal histories: Consumer perspectives

The purpose of this qualitative project was to explore employment-related considerations through the perspectives of supported employment consumers with both psychiatric disabilities and criminal offense histories. Fourteen individuals partici- pated in semi-structured interviews. Resulting themes included the importance of nonvocational services; relationship between mental illness and criminal activity; impact of mental illness and offense history on employment; helpful elements of supported employment; and recovery and advice to others. These findings help to explain how supported employment can mitigate social underachievement and social decline in an especially high need population.