Psychological problems and work ability in unemployed people diagnosed with a mental illness

Background: Research shows that unemployed individuals are more often affected by mental illness, and that mental illness can impede an individual’s work ability, creating a significant obstacle to (re)entering the workforce. Aims: The objective of this study is to examine the relationships between psychological symptoms and work ability in unemployed individuals with mental illnesses (UMIs). This will enable us to identify the symptoms that are most relevant for future research and application. Method: Our study is based on a sample from the project LIPSY, which aims to maintain and/or restore the employability of UMIs. We conducted regression analyses with the outcome variable work ability in a sample of unemployed individuals with a mental illness (ICD-10: F-diagnosis). In the initial analysis, age, gender, education, and cohabitation status were used as predictors; in the final model, all nine symptom dimensions (SCL-90) were added, that is, (1) Somatization, (2) Obsessive-Compulsive, (3) Interpersonal Sensitivity, (4) Depression, (5) Anxiety, (6) Anger-Hostility, (7) Phobic Anxiety, (8) Paranoid Ideation, and (9) Psychoticism. Results: Our sample comprised 402 participants, with a mean age of 35.7 years, 52.5% were female. In the final analysis, we found significant positive associations between education, Paranoid Ideation, and work ability, and a significant negative one between Depression and work ability, but no other significant associations. Conclusions: The elevated scores on all SCL-90 dimensions, along with the associations between two dimensions and work ability, underscore the need for psychological screening, diagnosis, prevention, and therapy (Depression) as well as additional public health attention and research (Paranoid Ideation) in this high-risk population.