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Navigating Barriers to Vocational Rehabilitation for HIV-Positive Persons

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Abstract

This study documented the outcomes of 108 HIV-positive persons receiving vocational rehabilitation services. Over a 12-month follow-up, participants reported significantly decreased odds of any unstable housing [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 0.21; 95 % CI 0.05–0.90; p < .05] and increased odds of being employed at least part-time (AOR = 10.19; 95 % CI 2.40–43.21; p < .01). However, reductions in perceived barriers to employment and increases in income were more pronounced among those not receiving disability benefits at baseline. This was consistent with findings from baseline qualitative interviews with 22 participants where those not on disability were subject to bureaucratic hurdles to rapidly accessing benefits and anticipated stigma of being on disability that propelled them to rejoin the workforce. Vocational rehabilitation could address key structural barriers to optimizing HIV treatment as prevention, and novel approaches are needed to improve outcomes among individuals receiving disability benefits.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by a Community Collaborative Research Award from the California HIV/AIDS Research Program (CR09-PO-450—Ramirez-Forcier, PI; CR09-SF-451—Carrico, PI). We are grateful for the contributions of Mr. Adam Leonard who assisted our team with reviewing relevant literature. We would also like thank each of our participants who contributed their time and effort to this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, 2 Koret Way, N511M, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA

    Walter Gómez, Annesa Flentje & Adam W. Carrico

  2. Positive Resource Center, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Amy Schustack, Joseph Ramirez-Forcier & Brett Andrews

  3. Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Samantha E. Dilworth, Alberto Curotto & Adam W. Carrico

  4. HIV/AIDS Division, San Francisco General Hospital, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Elise D. Riley

Authors
  1. Walter Gómez
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  2. Annesa Flentje
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  3. Amy Schustack
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  4. Joseph Ramirez-Forcier
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  5. Brett Andrews
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  6. Samantha E. Dilworth
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  7. Elise D. Riley
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  8. Alberto Curotto
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  9. Adam W. Carrico
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adam W. Carrico.

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Gómez, W., Flentje, A., Schustack, A. et al. Navigating Barriers to Vocational Rehabilitation for HIV-Positive Persons. AIDS Behav 20, 1132–1142 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1261-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-015-1261-1

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