Abstract
Background
Prior research reveals high unemployment rates among homeless young adults. The literature offers many examples of using evidence-based supported employment models with vulnerable populations to assist them in obtaining and maintaining competitive employment; yet few examples exist to date with homeless young adults with mental illness.
Objective
The purpose of this study was thus to adapt an evidence-based intervention for adults with psychiatric illnesses [i.e., the Individual Placement and Support (IPS)] with homeless young adults with mental illness.
Methods
Convenience sampling was used to recruit 20 homeless young adults (ages 18–24) with mental illness from the host agency. Participants received the IPS intervention over 10 months. A comparison sample was used at a separate agency of 16 homeless young adults with mental illness, who received standard agency services. Using a pre-post, self-comparison quasi-experimental design, the impact of the IPS was assessed on five employment outcomes: (1) ever-worked rate, (2) working-at-follow-up rate, (3) monthly work rate, (4) weekly work hours and (5) weekly income.
Results
The IPS group was significantly more likely to have worked at some point over the 10-month study as well as to have worked a greater number of months overall.
Conclusions
Findings provide greater insight into adapting, implementing and evaluating the IPS model with homeless young adults with mental illness. The study demonstrates that the IPS model is adaptable to work with homeless young adults with mental illness and is associated with successful retention and employment outcomes.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baron, S. W. (1999). Street youths and substance use: The role of background, street lifestyle, and economic factors. Youth & Society, 31(1), 3–26. doi:10.1177/0044118X99031001001.
Baron, S. W. (2004). General strain, street youth and crime: A test of Agnew’s revised theory. Criminology, 42(2), 457–483. doi:10.1111/j.1745-9125.2004.tb00526.x.
Baron, S. W., & Hartnagel, T. F. (1997). Attributions, affect, and crime: Street youths’ reactions to unemployment. Criminology, 35(3), 409–434. doi:10.1111/j.1745-9125.1997.tb01223.x.
Becker, D. R., Bond, G. R., McCarthy, D., Thompson, D., Xie, H., McHugo, G. J., et al. (2001). Converting day treatment centers to supported employment programs in Rhode Island. Psychiatric Services, 52(3), 351–357. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.52.3.351.
Becker, D. R., & Drake, R. E. (2003). A working life for people with severe mental illness. New York: Oxford University Press.
Benson, P. L. (1999). A fragile foundation: The state of developmental assets among American youth. Minneapolis, MN: Search Institute.
Bond, G. R., Becker, D. R., Drake, R. E., Rapp, C. A., Meisler, N., Lehman, A. F., et al. (2001). Implementing supported employment as an evidence-based practice. Psychiatric Services, 52(3), 313–322. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.52.3.313.
Bond, G. R., & Drake, R. E. (2008). Predictors of competitive employment among patients with schizophrenia. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 21, 362–369. doi:10.1097/YCO.0b013e328300eb0e.
Bond, G. R., Salyers, M. P., Dincin, J., Drake, R. E., Becker, D. R., Fraser, V. V., et al. (2007). A randomized controlled trial comparing two vocational models for persons with severe mental illness. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75(6), 968–982. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.75.6.968.
Carter, E. W., & Wehby, J. H. (2003). Job performance of transition-age youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. Exceptional Children, 69(4), 449–465.
Catalano, R., Drake, R. E., Becker, D. R., & Clark, R. E. (1999). Labor market conditions and employment of the mentally ill. Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics, 2, 51–54. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1099-176X(199906)2:2<51:AID-MHP44>3.3.CO;2-R.
Cauce, A. M., Paradise, M., Ginzler, J. A., Embry, L., Morgan, C. J., Lohr, Y., et al. (2000). The characteristics and mental health of homeless adolescents: Age and gender differences. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 8(4), 230–239. doi:10.1177/106342660000800403.
Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Cook, J. A. (2006). Employment barriers for persons with psychiatric disabilities: Update of a report for the President’s Commission. Psychiatric Services, 57(10), 1391–1405. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.57.10.1391.
Dachner, N., & Tarasuk, V. (2002). Homeless “squeegee kids”: Food insecurity and daily survival. Social Science and Medicine, 54, 1039–1049. doi:10.1016/S0277-9536(01)00079-X.
Drake, R. E., McHugo, G. J., Bebout, R. R., Becker, D. R., Harris, M., Bond, G. R., et al. (1999). A randomized clinical trial of supported employment for inner-city patients with severe mental disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 56(7), 627–633. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.56.7.627.
Ferguson, K. (2007). Implementing a social enterprise intervention with homeless, street-living youth in Los Angeles. Social Work, 52(2), 103–112. doi:10.1177/1049731507303535.
Ferguson, K., & Xie, B. (2008). Feasibility study of the social enterprise intervention with homeless youth. Research on Social Work Practice, 18(1), 5–19. doi:10.1177/1049731507303535.
Gaetz, S., & O’Grady, B. (2002). Making money: Exploring the economy of young homeless workers. Work, Employment & Society, 16(3), 433–456. doi:10.1177/095001702762217425.
Gold, P. B., Meisler, N., Santos, A. B., Carnemolla, M. A., Williams, O. H., & Keleher, J. (2005). Randomized trial of supported employment integrated with assertive community treatment for rural adults with severe mental illness. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 32(2), 378–395. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbi056.
Johnson, K. D., Whitbeck, L. B., & Hoyt, D. R. (2005). Substance abuse disorders among homeless and runaway adolescents. Journal of Drug Issues, 35(4), 799–816.
Kipke, M. D., Unger, J. B., O’Connor, S., Palmer, R. F., & LaFrance, S. (1997). Street youth, their peer group affiliation and differences according to residential status, subsistence patterns, and use of services. Adolescence, 32(127), 655–669.
Lehman, A. F., Goldberg, R., Dixon, L. B., McNary, S., Postrado, L., Hackman, A., et al. (2002). Improving employment outcomes for persons with severe mental illnesses. Archives of General Psychiatry, 59(2), 165–172. doi:10.1001/archpsyc.59.2.165.
Lenz-Rashid, S. (2006). Employment experiences of homeless young adults: Are they different for youth with a history of foster care? Children and Youth Services Review, 28, 235–259. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2005.03.006.
Mueser, K. T., Clark, R. E., Haines, M., Drake, R. E., McHugo, G. J., Bond, G. R., et al. (2004). The Hartford study of supported employment for persons with severe mental illness. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 72(3), 479–490. doi:10.1037/0022-006X.72.3.479.
Nuechterlein, K. H., Subotnik, K. L., Turner, L. R., Ventura, J., Becker, D. R., & Drake, R. E. (2008). Individual placement and support for individuals with a recent-onset of schizophrenia: Integrating supported education and supported employment. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 31(4), 340–349. doi:10.2975/31.4.2008.340.349.
Rashid, S. (2004). Evaluating a transitional living program for homeless, former foster care youth. Research on Social Work Practice, 14(4), 240–248. doi:10.1177/1049731503257883.
Rinaldi, M., McNeil, K., Firn, M., Koletsi, M., Perkins, R., & Singh, S. P. (2004). What are the benefits of evidence-based supported employment for patients with first-episode psychosis? Psychiatric Bulletin, 28(8), 281–284. doi:10.1192/pb.28.8.281.
Rosenheck, R. A., & Mares, A. S. (2007). Implementation of supported employment for homeless veterans with psychiatric or addiction disorders: Two-year outcomes. Psychiatric Services, 58(3), 325–333. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.58.3.325.
Salyers, M. P., Becker, D. R., Drake, R. E., Torrey, W. C., & Wyzik, P. F. (2004). A ten-year follow-up of a supported employment program. Psychiatric Services, 55(3), 302–308. doi:10.1176/appi.ps.55.3.302.
Shaheen, G., & Rio, J. (2006). Career mapping for disadvantaged job seekers. New York: Corporation for Supportive Housing, Chronic Homelessness Employment Technical Assistance Center.
Sheehan, D. V., Lecrubier, Y., Sheehan, K. H., Amorim, P., Janavs, J., Weiller, E., et al. (1998). The Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI): The development and validation of a structured diagnostic psychiatric interview for DSM-IV and ICD-10. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 59(20), 22–33.
Swanson, S. J., Becker, D. R., Drake, R. E., & Merrens, M. R. (2008). Supported employment: A practical guide for practitioners and supervisors. Kearney, NE: Morris Publishing.
Thompson, S. J., Rew, D. L., Barczyk, A. N., McCoy, P., & Mi-Sedhi, A. (2009). Social estrangement: Factors associated with alcohol or drug dependency among homeless, street-involved youth. Journal of Drug Issues, 39, 905–929.
Twamley, E. W., Jeste, D. V., & Lehman, A. F. (2003). Vocational rehabilitation in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 191(8), 515–523. doi:10.1097/01.nmd.0000082213.42509.69.
Whitbeck, L. B. (2009). Mental health and emerging adulthood among homeless young people. New York, NY: Psychology Press.
Acknowledgments
Funding was provided by the Columbia University Center for Homelessness Prevention Studies (CHPS) Scholars’ Program. We would like to acknowledge Robert E. Drake, MD, Ph.D., for his helpful comments in the preparation of this article.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ferguson, K.M., Xie, B. & Glynn, S. Adapting the Individual Placement and Support Model with Homeless Young Adults. Child Youth Care Forum 41, 277–294 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-011-9163-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10566-011-9163-5