Outcomes of an employment support program in psychiatric day care collaborate with the public employment service: a single-arm preliminary study

Objective: To evaluate the employment outcomes and changes in cognitive and social functioning of people with mental disorders using an employment support program in collaboration with psychiatric day care and the public employment service. Methods: This was a prospective, open-label, single-arm preliminary study. The employment support program was conducted 6 hours at a time, five times per week for 3 months. Participants’ employment rates within 6 months after the program ended and competitive employment in supported employment service 1 year later were calculated. The brief assessment of cognition in schizophrenia (BACS), Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), and Life Assessment Scale for the Mentally Ill (LASMI) were measured before and after the program. Results: Forty-one (74.5%) of the 55 participants worked within 6 months of completing the program. Of the 30 employees who had been working for 1 year, 23 (76.7%) had settled in the workplace, with an average of over 80 monthly working hours and more than ＄660 monthly income. BACS Composite score (p<0.01, r=0.68), GAF (p<0.01, r=0.47), LASMI daily living (p<0.01, r=0.44), interpersonal relations (p<0.01, r=0.55), Work (p<0.01, r=0.81), endurance and stability (p<0.01, r=0.65), and self-recognition (p<0.01, r=0.78) improved significantly after the program. Conclusion: Our study suggests that a high employment rate can be obtained by employment support in which psychiatric day care and the public employment service cooperate.