Does the Model Matter? A Review of Literature on Vocational Outcomes for Consumers of Mental Health Services Project Summary Investigators:

Background Understanding relationships between vocational models and vocational outcomes is an important area of focus for occupational therapists. A large body of literature has confirmed the relationship of employment to well being in the general population (Vaillant & Vaillant, 1981). Research has also been developing over the past decade with regards to persons with severe mental illnesses. Studies suggest that like other populations, mental health consumers experience significant benefits through employment. For example, Meuser et. al. (1997) showed that formerly unemployed psychiatric patients who obtained competitive employment while participating in a vocational program tended to have lowered symptoms, better overall functioning, and higher self-esteem after controlling for baseline levels of these variables.