Past research has examined the low employment rates in veterans with serious mental illness (SMI) (Zivin et al., 2011) and the research... Show morePast research has examined the low employment rates in veterans with serious mental illness (SMI) (Zivin et al., 2011) and the research suggests that the benefits of employment for veterans are improved mental health symptoms, better finances, and better self-esteem (Bond et al., 2001). The specific relationship between employment and recovery from SMI in individuals has been examined (Drake et al., 2001; Bond et al., 2001; Modini et al., 2016). Previous research has not examined the correlation between recovery from SMI and employment, specifically in a population of veterans with SMI. The current study examines the relationship between recovery and employment of veterans with SMI, using the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS) as a measure of recovery. A logistic regression analysis yielded that no relationship was found between recovery and employment status. Results of this study suggest there may be other factors affecting the relationship between these two factors. Moreover, there is the possibility that there is no relationship between recovery and employment. Show less
People with epilepsy, on average, experience lower quality of life (QOL) than healthy controls (Taylor et al., 2011). This study examined the... Show morePeople with epilepsy, on average, experience lower quality of life (QOL) than healthy controls (Taylor et al., 2011). This study examined the associations between specific anti-seizure medication, biopsychosocial factors, and QOL in people with epilepsy. Analysis of covariance revealed that individuals taking three or more anti-seizure medications had significantly lower QOL than those taking levetiracetam. Findings also demonstrated that when looking at biopsychosocial factors as predictors of QOL in hierarchical regression, anxiety, depression, and daytime sleepiness were significant predictors of QOL. Once these factors were entered into the model, number of medications was no longer significant. The final model predicted 59.6% of the variance in QOL. Lastly, a moderation analysis to examine the moderating effect of employment on the association between number of anti-seizure medications and QOL was not significant. Additional exploratory analyses looking at individuals who were employed versus those who were not employed were completed. These findings underscore the importance of addressing psychological health and sleep factors within the epilepsy population. Show less
