Assessing Supported Employment with Veterans with Felony Convictions and MI or SA

描述(由申请人提供)： 目的：比较1)小组重点职业计划(MVP)干预和2)小组重点职业计划(MVPSE)加支持性就业增强(MVPSE)的效果。赠款的重点是帮助有重罪历史的退伍军人在获得和维持就业方面有心理健康和/或物质依赖。一个子目标将是评估这些计划对无家可归者和重新被捕的人的影响。摘要：每年有63,000多名被监禁的退伍军人从监狱和监狱释放，迫切需要改善为有重罪定罪历史的人提供的职业服务。统计数据显示，67%的人将再次被捕，57%的人将在三年内重返监狱(例如，Langan&Levin，2002；Lavigne&Kachnowski，2005)。再次逮捕和总体生活质量的最大因素之一是就业。然而，在任何一天，有重罪历史的人中都有45%的人失业。这些退伍军人有很大的心理社会压力。有长期监禁史的退伍军人比短期监禁史或没有监禁史的退伍军人有更高的精神问题、药物使用和酒精使用水平，而且双重诊断率也更高(McGuire&Roseneck，2004)。此外，监禁和无家可归之间的共生率很高。尽管需要退伍军人的人数很多，潜在的好处也很大，但非常需要帮助这些退伍军人重返工作岗位的技术和计划。在帮助弱势群体获得和维持就业方面，一个被证明是成功的领域是支持性就业(例如Becker&Drake，2006；Bond，2004)。支持性就业在发展就业、获得就业、就业期间的支持以及与其他心理社会需求的协调方面提供持续的援助。这项研究将寻求改进RR&D Grant D6192-R“为患有MI[精神病]或SA[药物滥用/依赖]的被监禁退伍军人评估职业材料”的结果，通过测试将支持性就业纳入经过验证的机械化治疗计划的情况。预计研究结果将有助于改善有重罪定罪的精神疾病和/或药物依赖退伍军人(退伍军人康复中心的优先研发领域)的功能和生活质量。我们的目标是将已建立的重新融入职场计划与基于支持就业原则的手动计划和服务进行比较，以确定支持就业是否可以提高就业成功率。192名退伍军人将被随机分配到两种情况之一：1)由训练有素的职业人员领导的基于手册的课程；或2)由训练有素的职业人员领导的基于手册的课程，加上基于支持就业所使用的原则和技术的个人服务(例如，过去获得就业的持续支持、工作发展、工作指导、社区参与、快速寻找工作等)。退伍军人将被跟踪24个月。具体目标1)测试MVP和MVPSE之间的就业时间和稳定就业时间2)比较MVP和MVPSE在培训后24个月中使用的总时间3)确定MVP和MVPSE条件下与MVPSE条件下的无家可归率和再逮捕率的差异

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Goal: To compare efficacy of 1) a group focused manualized vocational program (MVP) intervention versus 2) a group focused manualized vocational program plus enhancement using supportive employment (MVPSE). The focus of the grant is assisting veterans with histories of felonies who have mental health and/or substance dependence in obtaining and maintaining employment. A subgoal will be the assessment of the effect of the programs on homelessness and re-arrests. Summary: With over 63,000 incarcerated veterans being released from prisons and jails annually, there is a critical need to improve vocational services for those with histories of felony convictions. Statistics indicate that 67% will be re-arrested and 57% will return to prison within three years (e.g. Langan & Levin, 2002; LaVigne & Kachnowski, 2005). One of the strongest factors in re-arrests and overall quality of life is employment. However, on any given day 45% of those with felony histories are unemployed. These veterans have significant psychosocial stressors. Veterans with a long-term incarceration history had higher levels of psychiatric problems, drug use, and alcohol use using the Addiction Severity Index as well as higher rates of dual diagnosis than those with a short-term incarceration history or those with no history of incarceration (McGuire & Rosenheck, 2004). Additionally, there is a high level of co-occurrence between incarceration and homelessness. Though the number of veterans in need is large and the potential benefit great, there is a significant need for techniques and programs that assist these veterans in returning to work. One area that has proven successful in assisting vulnerable populations in obtaining and sustaining employment is Supportive Employment (e.g. Becker & Drake, 2006; Bond, 2004). Supportive Employment provides ongoing assistance in developing jobs, obtaining employment, support during employment, and coordination with other psychosocial needs. This study will seek to improve on the findings from RR&D Grant D6192-R "Evaluating Vocational Materials for Incarcerated Veterans with MI [mental illness] or SA [substance abuse/dependence]" by testing the incorporation of supportive employment into a proven manualized treatment program. It is expected findings will serve to improve functioning and quality of life of mentally ill and/or substance dependent veterans (a VA Rehab R&D priority area) with felony convictions. Our goal is to compare an established manualized vocational reintegration program to the manualized program plus services based on the principles of supported employment to determine whether supported employment can improve on job success rates. 192 veterans will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions: 1) a manual based class led by trained vocational staff; or 2) a manual based class led by trained vocational staff plus individual services based on the principles of and techniques use by supported employment (e.g. sustained support past obtaining employment, job development, job coaching, community engagement, rapid progression to job search, etc.). Veterans will be followed for 24 months. Specific Aims 1) Test time to employment and time to stable employment between the MVP and MVPSE 2) To compare total time employed between MVP and MVPSE over the 24 months following training period 3) Identify differences in rates of homelessness and re-arrests between those in the MVP condition compared to the MVPSE condition