Youth and Working Life: Preventing Early Disability

Supported Employment & preventing Early Disability (SEED) The proportion of young adults receiving permanent disability benefits is an increasing problem in Norway. Early withdrawal or exclusion from the labor market leads to large individual and societal costs. The SEED-trial is a randomized controlled trial aiming to provide evidence-based knowledge about different approaches to increase labor market participation and prevent early disability in this important and vulnerable group. The trial included young adults aged 18-29 years, who were not in education or employment due to various social or health-related problems. Participants were receiving temporary benefits, and considered to have impaired work capacity that required close follow-up and assistance. Participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 interventions, both aimed at facilitating participation in working life: 1. Traditional Vocational Rehabilitation, offering training and preparation for the labor market in a sheltered environment 2. Supported Employment, focusing on competitive employment in real-life settings without long-lasting preceding training Supported Employment is a relatively new service in Norway, while traditional vocational rehabilitation with sheltered employment has been around for years. However, no Norwegian controlled studies have been conducted on any of these interventions in this population. In the SEED trial, we compared the two interventions to investigate which had the most favorable effects on competitive employment and education, as well as physical and mental health, function and coping. A total of 96 participants were included in the trial and randomized to one of the two interventions. The results showed a superior effect of Supported Employment on competitive employment compared to Traditional Vocational Rehabilitation, and showed promising but somewhat inconsistent results on outcomes of health, function and coping. The increasing rate of young adults receiving disability benefits has elicited a great need for effective interventions to prevent this negative trend. The SEED trial documents the effect of one such intervention, that could make a difference for the important and increasing group of young adults who are at risk of being permanently excluded from the labor market at an early age. See the trial website for more information: http://www.seed-trial.com

Supported Employment & preventing Early Disability (SEED) Early withdrawal or exclusion from the labor market leads to significant personal and societal costs. In Norway, the increasing numbers of young adults receiving disability pension is a growing problem. While a large body of research demonstrates positive effects of Supported Employment (SE) in patients with severe mental illness, no studies have yet investigated the effectiveness of SE in young adults with a range of social and health conditions who are receiving benefits. The SEED-trial is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing traditional vocational rehabilitation (TVR) to SE in 96 young adults between the ages of 18-29 who are receiving benefits due to various social- or health-related problems and are at risk of early disability. The primary outcome is labor market participation during the first year after enrollment. Secondary outcomes include physical and mental health, health behaviors, and well-being, collected at baseline, 6, and 12 months. A cost-benefit analysis will also be conducted. The SEED-trial is the first RCT to compare SE to TVR in this important and vulnerable group, at risk of being excluded from working life at an early age.