Barriers to Employment among Unemployed Drug Users: Age Predicts Severity

Abstract

Background Drug users in treatment or exiting treatment face many barriers to employment when entering the job market, such as low levels of education and technical skills, and low levels of interpersonal skills. As a result of these and other barriers, employment rates in these groups are generally low. Objective This article examines the existence and possible predictors of specific barriers to employment related to interpersonal and technical skills in a sample of participants enrolled in a therapeutic workplace intervention for substance abuse. Methods In Study I (N = 77), we characterized and examined predictors of participant scores on a staff-rated scale of interpersonal skills (Work Behavior Inventory). In Study II (N = 29), we examined whether participants had lower levels of computer knowledge than job seekers in the general population, and investigated possible predictors of computer knowledge in the sample. Results In general, participants in Study I displayed low levels of interpersonal skills, and participants in Study II scored lower on the computer knowledge test than job seekers in the general population. Older participants tended to have lower levels of interpersonal skills and lower levels of computer knowledge. Conclusions and Scientific Significance These results suggest that providers of workforce development services for drug users in treatment or exiting treatment should attend to these specific barriers to employment, which may also be more pronounced among older clients.

Academic skills of chronically unemployed drug-addicted adults

“…These include limited work skills and experience; lack of job search and interviewing skills; and employers’ reluctance to hire persons with drug addiction and criminal histories (Atkinson, Lee, Dayton-Shotts, & French, 2001; Lidz, Sorrentino, Robinson, & Bunce, 2004; Meara, 2006; Sigurdsson, Ring, O'Reilly, & Silverman, 2012; Wong & Silverman, 2007; Zanis, Coviello, Alterman, & Appling, 2001). Any successful employment intervention will necessarily have to tackle the barriers to employment that a jobseeker encounters.…”

Employment‐based abstinence reinforcement promotes opiate and cocaine abstinence in out‐of‐treatment injection drug users

“…Although 61% of participants had a high school diploma or GED, most of them had reading, spelling, and math skills that were at or below the seventh‐grade level. It is not uncommon for participants of the therapeutic workplace to exhibit deficits in basic educational skills (Holtyn, DeFulio, & Silverman, in press) and professional demeanor (Carpenedo et al, ; Sigurdsson, Ring, O'Reilly, & Silverman, ; Wong & Silverman, ). Because many clinicians believe employment plays a vital role in recovery (Magura, ), a major aim of the therapeutic workplace is the development of skills that will allow participants to overcome some of the barriers to employment noted above and gain employment after participation in the workplace ends.…”

A Comprehensive Review of the Literature on the Impact of Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence for Children and Youth

“…Many of these factors could contribute to employment deficits in adulthood: "barriers [to employment] stem from many circumstances, and they likely are multidimensional in terms of their impact and response to rehabilitation" (Johannesen, McGrew, Griss, & Born, 2009, p. 298). Common obstacles to employment include poor work history and experience, insufficient education, lack of a support system, personal problems (e.g., financial, transportation), physical illness, and discrimination (Liptak, 2009;Sigurdsson, Ring, O'Reilly, & Silverman, 2012). Barriers specifically related to psychological attributes include concentration challenges, psychosocial difficulties, emotional regulation deficits, stress management problems, substance use, and other essential impairments (Johannesen et al, 2009;Liptak, 2009;Sigurdsson et al, 2012).…”

“…Common obstacles to employment include poor work history and experience, insufficient education, lack of a support system, personal problems (e.g., financial, transportation), physical illness, and discrimination (Liptak, 2009;Sigurdsson, Ring, O'Reilly, & Silverman, 2012). Barriers specifically related to psychological attributes include concentration challenges, psychosocial difficulties, emotional regulation deficits, stress management problems, substance use, and other essential impairments (Johannesen et al, 2009;Liptak, 2009;Sigurdsson et al, 2012). Importantly, psychological challenges can be problematic to resolve because "they have a direct impact on self-confidence and self-esteem, and can contribute to feelings of stress, anger, depression, and helplessness" (Liptak, 2009, p. 14).…”