The Influence of Presenting Health Condition on Eventual Return to Work for Individuals Receiving Health-Related Welfare Benefits

There is currently insufficient research guiding policy makers concerning the influence of the extant health condition of disability welfare recipients on both (a) their receptivity to health intervention and (b) potential eventual return to work. In the current study all participants were unemployed and claiming disability welfare, due to either physical (N = 1,463) or mental health conditions (N = 2,352). Intervention consisted of a voluntary and pan-health condition 7-session group psychoeducational programme. Groups aimed to increase health condition management skills to enable return to work and this research therefore tested the effectiveness of a ‘health-first’ policy approach. Employment and psychological outcomes were longitudinally tracked at four time points; pre-intervention, post-intervention, at short term (3-month) and long-term (12-30 months) follow-up. Results illustrate that at a group level participants with mental health conditions were more likely to return to work in both the short and long term and to achieve a greater degree of psychological change over the course of the intervention. At an individual level, higher rates of physical health participants met the criteria for psychological recovery during the intervention. The results of the study are discussed in terms of methodological concerns, how to maximise employment outcomes for welfare recipients who present with differing health conditions and the associated policy implications