Women with Multiple Sclerosis and Employment Issues: A Focus on Social and Institutional Environments

This paper examines employment issues for women diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their workplace experiences, focusing analysis on the social and institutional dimensions of the environment. The analysis draws on data from a mixed method study using in-depth interviews and a survey. The fi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of occupational therapy (1939) 2000-12, Vol.67 (5), p.337-346
Main Authors: Dyck, Isabel, Jongbloed, Lyn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation, Psychological
Adult
Canada
Employment
Employment Level
Family Environment
Female
Females
Housework
Humans
Interviews
Labor
Literature Reviews
Mail Surveys
Medical Services
Middle Aged
Multiple Sclerosis - psychology
Multiple Sclerosis - rehabilitation
Occupational Therapy
Occupational Therapy - methods
Patient Advocacy
Resistance (Psychology)
Social Support
Statistics, Nonparametric
Women, Working - psychology
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Summary:This paper examines employment issues for women diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) and their workplace experiences, focusing analysis on the social and institutional dimensions of the environment. The analysis draws on data from a mixed method study using in-depth interviews and a survey. The findings indicate that although severity of symptoms affect employment status, non-medical factors, including modification of work conditions and understanding employers, and a supportive home environment with the possibility of delegating household tasks, can enhance women's ability to work. The specific focus in the paper on the experiences of women managing their disability in the workplace, from the qualitative phase of the study, acts as an analytic device to illustrate how context influences the way in which such factors play out. In highlighting the issue of disclosure of diagnosis, and associated identity and income concerns for women, the paper demonstrates the importance of the social and institutional dimensions of environment in shaping occupational performance. The findings suggest that inclusion of environmental analysis in clinical practice broadens the range of intervention strategies to be considered and raises the issue of occupational therapists' role in advocacy.
ISSN:0008-4174
1911-9828
DOI:10.1177/000841740006700506