Perceiving work as a valuable part of life seemingly stimulates long-term (sustainable) employment in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). As up to 80% of patients lose employment after their...Show morePerceiving work as a valuable part of life seemingly stimulates long-term (sustainable) employment in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). As up to 80% of patients lose employment after their diagnosis, this study aimed to examine if this can be traced back to a lack of values in the workplace. This study examined whether the Capability Set for Work Questionnaire (CSWQ), measuring valued aspects of work that workers with MS are both enabled and able to achieve, is predictive of sustainable employability. The study examined whether (1) the size of a capability set and (2) a change in the size of such capability sets over time predict loss of employment over 3 years. The study examined (3) whether the capability set has a moderating effect on the association between a change in the size of capability sets and loss of employment, and (4) whether individual expectations of future employability are predictive of employment status after 3 years. Methods/design. This study is a subproject of the 3-year MS@Work study. A total of 10 workers who lost their employment over 3 years and 10 workers who maintained their employment were matched for gender, age, educational level, and type of job. Participants completed online questionnaires on demographics, health, and work functioning/employment status. The CSWQ examined whether seven work values were considered valuable (A), enabled in the work context (B), and achievable (C). When all three criteria were met, a value was considered part of one’s capability set. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the predictive value of those sets concerning sustainable employability. Results. The study did not yield statistically significant results (p ≤ .05), but trends (p ≤ .10) were discovered indicating that larger capability sets (b = -.498, s.e. = .302, Wald X2 (1) = 2.715, p = .099) and higher expectations of future employability (b = -1.097, s.e. = .651, Wald X2 (1) = 3.156, p = .076) increased the chances of maintaining employment. Discussion. The study yielded encouraging results for further research on the CSWQ as a predictive tool for sustainable employability in workers with MS.Show less
