The Worker Role Interview: a powerful tool in Icelandic work rehabilitation

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field A pilot-study using the Worker Role Interview (WRI) was conducted to gather information from clients attending a work- rehabilitation program in an Icelandic psychiatric center. The work re...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Asmundsdottir, Eli­n Ebba
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: IOS Press 2004
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2336/3186
Description
Summary:To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field A pilot-study using the Worker Role Interview (WRI) was conducted to gather information from clients attending a work- rehabilitation program in an Icelandic psychiatric center. The work rehabilitation program traditionally used a performance-capacity-oriented assessment (PCA) to evaluate work readiness. Clients scoring 90% or higher on the PCA were considered able to re-enter the job market. However, scoring over 90% did not result in automatic return to work for the majority of clients. As a result, many questions were proposed about the effectiveness of the PCA to predict client ability to re-enter the work force. A pilot study using the Worker Role Interview was conducted with an aim to gain insight into what barriers prevented clients from entering the work force. Ten clients scoring 90% or over on the PCA were interviewed using the WRI. Qualitative methods were used to analyze the data. Results from the WRI indicated that clients failed to join the work force due to a number of psychosocial factors, such as lack of personal causation and self-efficacy combined with environmental factors. The WRI provided clients with an opportunity to express their attitudes and opinions towards work. Information gained through the WRI also gave new direction in goal setting for the work rehabilitation program and validated the need to expand occupational therapy services.