The Quality of Supported Employment Implementation Scale

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Gary R. Bond, | Jeff Picone, | Beth Mauer, | Steve Fishbein, | Randy Stout,

Affiliations: Department of Psychology, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, IN~46202-3275, USA | Office of Human Resources and Rehabilitation Development, Trenton, NJ 08625-0727, USA | Services for Employment Success, Shawnee Community Mental Health Center, Topeka, KS 66612-1182, USA

Note: [] Department of Psychology LD124, IUPUI, 402 North Blackford Street, Indianapolis, IN 46202-3275, USA. Tel.: +1 317 274 6752; Fax: +1 317 274 6756; E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract: We describe a 33-item interviewer-rated checklist, the Quality of Supported Employment Implementation Scale (QSEIS), designed to measure implementation of supported employment (SE) programs for people with severe mental illness (SMI). We used a 1.5-hour semi-structured interview with program directors in 32 SE programs in Kansas (KS) and New Jersey (NJ). Interviewers averaged 84% in item ratings. The internal consistency for the total scale was low (Cronbach's alpha = 0.51), but higher for four subscales: Teamwork (0.74), Planning and Support (0.60), Rapid Job Search (0.74), and Integration with Mental Health (0.62). In these programs we found substantial implementation of SE standards, with mean ratings exceeding 4.0 on a 5-point scale, for 18 of 33 items. Mean overall implementation was similar in both states, with somewhat different patterns, with NJ rating higher on Planning and Support, and KS rating higher on Integration of Mental Health and Rapid Job Search. The QSEIS total scale and the 4 subscales were correlated with 9 indicators of employment outcomes, obtained from a retrospective survey completed by program directors in 24 of the programs. The total QSEIS score was not significantly correlated with any of the outcome measures. Planning and Support correlated positively with job tenure (r = 0.62), but was not related to annual VR closure rate (r = -0.15). Conversely, Rapid Job Search was negatively correlated with job tenure (r = -0.56), while positively correlated with annual VR closure rate (r = 0.46). Thus, supported employment interventions may be multidimensional, with one set of interventions fostering job acquisition and a second set fostering job retention. We conclude that the QSEIS is a pragmatic tool for describing SE programs for people with SMI, although more work on psychometric precision and predictive validity is needed. The survey provides norms by which other providers and other states can compare their achievement of the principles of supported employment.

Keywords: supported employment, severe mental illness, psychiatric disability, quality indicators, implementation

Journal: Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 201-212, 2000