MEASURES

1. YHES! Young Adult, Health & Employment Study www.yhes.ca Perceived stress and employment participation among young adults living with juvenile arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus in CanadaArif Jetha, MSc1,2,Monique A.M. Gignac, PhD1,2,Elizabeth M. Badley,PhD1,2, Dorcas Beaton, PhD3,4,Paul R. Fortin MD MPH2,5, Natalie J. Shiff MD MHSc6, Lori B. Tucker MD71Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto; 2Arthritis, Community, Research & Evaluation Unit, Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto; 3Institute for Work & Health, Toronto; 4Mobility Program, Clinical Research Unit, St. Michaels Hospital, Toronto; 5Canadian Network for Improved Outcomes in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus; 6Department of Pediatrics, Royal University Hospital, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon; 7BC Children’s & Women’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver Table 2. Pearson correlation table Table 1. Descriptive statistics of the sample • INTRODUCTION • Finding and maintaining employment can be a difficult and stressful experience for young adults. To date, there is little research examining the employment experiences of young adults living with juvenile arthritis (JA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). • Elsewhere, research with adults living with arthritis suggests that stress associated with trying to work with a chronic disease is high and stems not only from symptoms of the disease, but also the physical and social work environment, as well as perceptions about the impact of health on ones career1. • This study presents preliminary descriptive data from a study that will compare employment experiences of those with JA and SLE. It describes perceptions of stress associated with working with a chronic disease and the relationships among perceived stress, health, psychological, and social factors. • DATA ANAYLSES • Descriptive analyses included frequencies, means and standard deviations. • Pearson correlations examined the relationships among study variables. • Comparative statistics (1-way ANOVA) were conducted to examine differences in perceived stress between employed and unemployed. • RESULTS • Overall, perceived stress related to employment was low to moderate among young adults living with JA and SLE in this sample. Comparative statistics exhibited no significant difference in stress between those employed and unemployed. • Most stressful among employed participants was accepting the impact of their health condition on their lives; worries about the impact of their health on their finances; balancing health, work and personal life demands; and stress related to the impact of their health on their future career (Figure 1). • An examination of the relationship of demographic, health, and psychosocial variables to stress found that greater pain, fatigue, and disability were related to greater stress (Table 2). For those currently employed, lower support was associated with greater stress. For those not employed, lower self-reported health was also associated with greater stress. *denotes p<.05 and **denotes p<.01 DISCUSSION • Preliminary data from this sample suggests that young adults may not report high levels of stress related to working with a chronic illness. However, this needs to be examined further as health factors were strongly associated with employment-related stress. • Those not employed may be similar in their perceived stress to those employed. However, further analyses needs to examine the predictors of stress, especially the role of support in employment among young adults living with JA and SLE. • PARTICIPANTS & METHODS • Participants: • Young adults (ages 18 to 30 years) • Diagnosed with JA (15) and SLE (49) • Procedure: • Participants are currentlybeing recruited from clinics in Toronto, Saskatoon and Vancouver. • Participants complete an online, self-administered questionnaire taking about 30 minutes and asking about their experience finding and maintaining paid work. Information about health, demographics, work context, and psychosocial perceptions is also collected. NEXT STEPS/ FUTURE DIRECTIONS • Recruitment of young adults living with JA and SLE will continue. • Conduct multivariate regression analyses to further understand how health, social, psychological and demographic factors relate to perceptions of stress arising from working with a chronic disease. • Examine how health factors specific to JA and SLE (e.g. extent of flares, disease activity) contribute to employment stress. Figure 1. Perceived stress among participants MEASURES Perceived Stress: The Chronic Illness Job Strain Scale (CIJSS) measures perceived work stress on 14 items: 1=‘not at all stress’: 5 = ‘extremely Stressful’). Scale was adapted for participants currently not employed. Pain (0-10): 0=‘no pain’: 10=‘worst possible pain’ Fatigue (0-10): 0=‘no fatigue’: 10=‘worst possible fatigue’ HAQ-PROMIS: Assesses limitations related to 20 activities (e.g., walking, standing, climbing stairs, lifting) (0=‘without any difficulty’: 4=‘unable to do’). Health Status: Self-reported health (1=‘poor’: 5 =‘excellent’). Time Since Diagnosis: Number of years. Independence-Autonomy: 7 items measure perceived independence and ability to act autonomously (1=‘strongly disagree’: 5=‘strongly agree’). Overprotection: Single item on the extent to which those closest to a respondent are overprotective (1=‘not at all’: 5 = ‘a great deal’). Lubben Social Support: 7 items assess social support. Greater total scores indicate greater support. Example items include: ‘How many relatives do you see or hear from at least once a month?’, ‘ How many relatives do you feel close to such that you could call on them for help?’ (0= ‘none’: 5=‘nine or more’). Demographics: Age in years, education, and employment status. REFERENCES 1.Gignac MAM, Sutton D, Badley EM. Arthritis symptoms, the work environment, and the future: Measuring perceived job strain among employed persons with arthritis. Arthritis Care and Research. 2007;57(5):738-747. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Funding: Canadian Institutes for Health Research, Lupina Foundation, Canadian Arthritis Network Travel Award Saskatchewan: Dr. Alan Rosenberg & Betty Lalach Toronto: Dr. Dafna Gladman, Dr. Murry Urowitz, Dr. Carol Landolt-Marticorena, Dr. Jorge Sanchez-Guerro, Cathy Chau & Anne MacKinnon Vancouver: Angelyne Sarmiento, Dr. David Cabral, Dr. Angela How & Dr. Jennifer Reynolds Contact Information For more information, please contact Arif Jetha at yhes@uhnresearch.ca or arif.jetha@utoronto.ca.