Author: Jebunnesa Jahan
Jahan, Jebunnesa, 2017 A systematic review of qualitative research that examines barriers and facilitators to competitive employment for people living with mental illness: implications for developing Asian countries , Flinders University, School of Health Sciences
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Aim: To examine barriers and facilitators for entering and sustaining competitive employment for people with mental illness (PMI) from the perspective of PMI. This study seeks to inform strategies or supports for employment for PMI in developing Asian countries.
Research design: Systematic review of qualitative studies
Methods: Seven electronic databases relevant to the fields of mental illness and employment were searched using CINAHL, Medline, Cochrane, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and ProQuest. No date limits were set in order to ensure all relevant literature was captured. The search was limited to English only and qualitative studies. Scanning the reference lists of included studies or relevant reviews identified additional studies. Two reviewers independently screened title, abstract and full text. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were critiqued using the McMasters Critical Review Form for Qualitative Studies.
Results: 1354 articles were screened after duplicates had been removed and 75 were assessed for relevance, resulting in twenty-five full text articles for review. The quality of studies was mixed, with only three representing a high number of quality indicators for qualitative research. ‘Barriers’ and ‘Facilitators’ were identified as two major themes, with three subthemes emerging: (1) external factors, including workplace issues, government policies, and opportunities to enhance employment skills of PMI; (2) interpersonal factors, including relationships with family, friends, mental health service providers, and vocational specialists; and (3) individual factors including Illness related issues and other personal history and service knowledge
Conclusions: The employment successes of PMI are influenced by a number of external, interpersonal and individual factors. The themes identified in this review reinforce the findings of similar systematic reviews, with the exception of one area. Interpersonal factors emerged as a barrier to employment success in some cases, which has only been previously identified as a facilitator in other reviews. No qualitative studies from developing Asian countries were identified in this review, however, the implications identified in this review are potentially transferrable. Further, well designed qualitative studies are required in developing Asian countries to examine these factors from the perspectives of PMI.
Keywords: People with mental illness, competitive employment, barriers, facilitators, developing Asian countries, qualitative
Subject: Health Sciences thesis, Disability Studies thesis
Thesis type: Masters
Completed: 2017
School: School of Health Sciences
Supervisor: Dr Kerrie Lante