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Building Human Capital to Increase Earning Power among People Living with Mental Illnesses
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Building Human Capital to Increase Earning Power among People Living with Mental Illnesses

Ni Gao, Lisa T. Schmidt, Kenneth J. Gill and Carlos W. Pratt
Psychiatric rehabilitation journal, v 35(2)
01 Sep 2011
PMID: 22020841

Abstract

Life Sciences & Biomedicine Psychiatry Rehabilitation Science & Technology
Objective: Human Capital Theory, a well-established model from the field of economics, maintains that a person's lifetime earnings are affected by the amount of education and job training they receive. This study uses Human Capital Theory to predict wages and explain employment outcomes among individuals living with psychiatric illnesses. Methods: Hourly wages were examined between loo individuals with mental illnesses and loo matched comparisons who had no mental illnesses. Results: The study found that participants with mental illnesses earned $12.19 an hour vs. $14.54 an hour earned by their counterparts without disability. The study also revealed that higher educational attainment and longer work history predicted higher wages among participants with mental illnesses. The severity of psychiatric symptoms and diagnosis, however, did not predict wages. Conclusion and Implications for Practice: These findings indicate that human capital variables are correlated with wages earned by persons living with mental illnesses. Findings also suggest that assisting mental health consumers in the pursuit of education and job training may increase earning potential which can lead to financial independence and community integration. This supports the value in developing and implementing Supported Education to assist consumers in acquiring education and job training.

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10 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#3 Good Health and Well-Being

InCites Highlights

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Psychiatry
Rehabilitation
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