The Association Between Environmental Supports and Unemployment Among White and Racial/ethnic Minorities with Multiple Sclerosis

Research Objectives: This study seeks to investigate how environmental supports are associated with unemployment after controlling for demographic covariates and functional limitations among racial/ethnic minorities and White individuals with MS.

Design: This study was cross-sectional.

Setting: Participants were recruited from the National MS Society.

Participants: A total of 583 participants were included in this study.

Interventions: Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures: Environmental supports were measured using the Multiple Sclerosis Environmental Supports Scale (MSESS; Lee & Chan, 2020). Functional limitations were assessed using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 12-item version (Ustun et al., 2010). Sociodemographic variables were assessed.

Results: The entire model containing all predictor variables (i.e., demographic, functional limitations, environmental health support, environmental rehabilitation support, and environmental community support) explained 22% (Nagelkerke R2) of the variance in unemployment.

Conclusions: These findings suggested the association between environmental supports and unemployment among racial/ethnic minorities and White individuals with MS after controlling for demographic and functional limitations variables. Findings highlighted the potential role of environmental supports in shaping employment outcomes for individuals with MS.

Author(s) Disclosures: No conflicts of interest.