Spring 2019 Research Brief - Preliminary examination of return to work interests among unemployed individuals with Multiple Sclerosis

Oct 15, 2026

Spring 2019 HDI at the University of Kentucky presents a research brief on why people with Multiple Sclerosis leave the workforce and how ready they are to return to work. It reports findings from a national survey subsample of 744 unemployed respondents, detailing employment status patterns and the prevalence of MS symptoms affecting daily functioning. Analyses describe descriptive statistics on employment history, readiness, and eagerness, and thematic analysis of open comments explaining work cessation. Reasons most often include MS, mobility problems, fatigue, and retirement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages4

Reading Time10 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Method

Participants

Instrument

Procedure and Data Analysis

Results

Reasons for stopping work

Table 1 Reasons for stopping work

Spring 2019 Human Development Institute • University of Kentucky RESEARCHBRIEF An update on HDI’s research in the ﬁeld of developmental disabilities Preliminary examination of return to work interests among unemployed individuals with Multiple Sclerosis Rongxiu Wu, Amanda Corbin, Penina Goldstein, Chithra Adams, Phillip Rumrill, Malachy Bishop & Kathy Sheppard-Jones Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common neurological disorders in the world, and it is increasing in incidence and prevalence in the United States. Murray (2016) reported that MS is the most common non-traumatic neurological disease of young adults in the world. It affects as many as 2.3 million people across the globe (NMSS, 2018a) . The prevalence of MS in the US is estimated at 450,000 (Multiple Sclerosis Coalition, 2015) . Some 10,000 new cases of MS are diagnosed each year in the US (Kalb, 2016) . Initial symptoms are most often evident during early adulthood, typically between the ages of 20 and 50 (Kalb, 2016; Schapiro, 2003) . MS is about three times more common in women than men, and there is evidence that this female:male ratio may be increasing (Dunn & Steinman, 2013; NMSS, 2018a) . With its onset in early to middle adulthood, multiple sclerosis (MS) usually affects people with established employment histories who were working at the time of diagnosis (Rumrill, 2016) . However, the progression of the disease is accompanied by what can only be referred to as a mass exodus from the labor force. A cross sectional analysis by Julian, Vella, Vollmer, Hadjimichael and Mohr (2008) found that 60% of people living with MS were unemployed. Addingto this research are ﬁndings that the majority of Americans with MS are unemployed ﬁve years after diagnosis (Uccelli, Specchia, Battaglia, & Miller, 2009) . This research brief explores the reasons why people leave the workforce and their readiness and eagerness to return to work. Method Data for this study were collected as part of a larger national survey of the employment concerns of people with MS. National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) chapters throughout the United States participated in various phases of the study, beginning with survey construction and ending with responding to the survey in paper-and-pencil, online, or telephone administrations. A more detailed description of the procedures used in the larger survey can be found in Rumrillet al. (2015) . A sub-sample of respondents was drawn to answer the speciﬁc research questions for this investigation. Participants The sub-sample for this study included 744 individuals who reported that they were not employed at the time of survey administration. Of the 744, 99 respondents (13%) continued inside | were “Unemployed and looking for work”, 114 respondents (14%) were “Unemployed and not looking for work” and 581 respondents (73%) were “Unemployed and receiving disability beneﬁts.” The sub-sample of the unemployed respondents had employment histories. About 80% of the sub-sample were employed at the time of diagnosis, with only 20% of the participants who reported that they were unemployed at the time of diagnosis. Furthermore, 96% had worked sometime in the past.
Eighty-seven percent of participants in this study reported to have either symptoms that affect daily functioning or
more severe. In descending order of frequency, the most commonly reported symptoms were fatigue (reported by 86.7%), diminished physical capability (78 . 8%), balance/ coordination problems (77.4%), gait/mobility problems (68 . 8%), bowel/bladder dysfunction (62 . 9%), cognitive impairment (60 . 1%), numbness (60 . 1%), tingling in the extremities (56 . 1%), spasticity (58 . 2%), pain (57. 3%), depression (51 . 3%), sleep disturbance (50 .4%), vision problems (43 . 5%), anxiety (39 .4%), sexual dysfunction (35 . 2%), tremor (25 . 3%), and bipolar disorder (5 . 6%) .
Instrument
The instrument used in the survey was a 98-

FAQs

Who was included in the study subsample, and what employment status did they report?

The subsample included 744 individuals who reported not being employed at the time of survey administration. Of these, 13% were unemployed and looking for work, 14% were unemployed and not looking for work, and 73% were receiving disability benefits.

How was readiness and eagerness to return to work analyzed?

Descriptive statistics were used to analyze participants’ employment history and their readiness and eagerness to work. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to analyze respondents’ comments about why they left work.

What were the most frequently reported reasons for stopping work?

Multiple sclerosis was the most frequently mentioned reason. Mobility issues (including balance/coordination problems or falling), fatigue, and retirement were also commonly reported reasons, along with related limitations in performing duties.

Oct 15, 2026

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