Study Details | Pathways to Work

19459- Individual Placemen

Study quality: High

High

Reason for the rating: This study received a high study quality rating because it is a randomized controlled trial with low attrition, suggesting the findings can be attributed to the program.

Program: About Face (AF) plus Individual Placement and Support (IPS) (as compared to AF only)

Characteristics of study participants:

Military veterans

Services provided:

Case management, Employment coaching, Job development, Job placement, Job readiness, Job search assistance, Post-employment participant follow-up

Methods and Standards Protocol version used for review: Version 1.0

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Study design

Design:

Randomized controlled trial

Study group formation:

The study recruited formerly incarcerated veterans who (1) had at least one prior felony conviction; (2) had been diagnosed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with a substance use disorder, mental illness, or both; (3) expressed a desire for competitive employment; and (4) provided consent. In total, 88 individuals were randomly assigned, with 49 assigned to the program group (AF+IPS) and 39 to the comparison group (AF). Assignment and analysis occurred at the individual level. The study excluded two veterans who found employment before the program and two who were not medically cleared for employment.

Time period of study:

Enrollment occurred between September 2011 and November 2013. Participants were followed for six months.

Primary outcome domains examined:

Increase short-term earnings, Increase short-term employment

Other outcome domains examined:

None

Study funded by:

The study received funding from the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Award and from the Meadows Foundation.

Results

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Outcome domain	Measure	Timing	Study quality by finding	Impact	Units	Findings	Sample size
Increase short-term earnings	Total earnings over follow-up period	Months 1-6	High	707.00	2013 dollars		84
Increase short-term employment	Employed at any time in follow-up period	Months 1-6	High	0.25	percentage points		84

Short-term outcomes are those measured 18 months or fewer after participants are first offered services. Long-term outcomes are those measured between 18 months and 5 years after participants are first offered services. Very long-term outcomes are those measured 5 years or more after participants are first offered services.

Means are not displayed when not reported or not aligned with the impact estimates. For example, if the impact estimate is regression-adjusted but only unadjusted means are reported in the study, the unadjusted means are not displayed as they are not aligned with the adjusted impact estimate.

Impact estimates are not shown when the estimate units cannot be converted to natural units.

Findings quality key:

High
Moderate

Study quality terms?

The findings quality describe our confidence that a given study’s finding is because of the program. We do not display findings that rate low.

Findings key:

A moderate-to-large favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large favorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small favorable finding that might be due to chance
A favorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A favorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A moderate-to-large unfavorable finding that might to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance
A small unfavorable finding that might be due to chance
An unfavorable finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
An unfavorable finding that might be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size
A finding that is unlikely to be due to chance, but we cannot determine the standardized effect size or direction
A finding of no effect that might be due to chance

Favorable findings are impacts in a direction that is socially desirable. Statistical significance indicates the likelihood that a study finding is due to the program, rather than due to chance. Findings are described as moderate-to-large if the program produced a sufficiently large change in the outcome. An impact receives this designation if the standardized effect size is equal to or greater than 0.25 or equal to or less than -0.25.

Sample characteristics

Participants were veterans who were formerly incarcerated; had at least one felony conviction; and were diagnosed with a substance use disorder, mental illness, or both. On average, sample members were 52 years old. Almost all (96 percent) were male. About two-thirds (68 percent) were Black or African American; 27 percent were White, not Hispanic; and 4 percent were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Participants had, on average, 13 years of education. Two-thirds of participants had experienced homelessness in the past year. In total, 88 percent reported a substance-use disorder, 45 percent reported depression, 10 percent reported a post-traumatic stress disorder, and 6 percent reported a cyclical mood disorder or psychosis.

Age

Mean age

52 years

Sex

Male

96%

Race and ethnicity

Black or African American	68%
White, not Hispanic	27%
Hispanic or Latino of any race	4%
More than one race	1%

The race and ethnicity categories may sum to more than 100 percent if the authors reported race and ethnicity separately; in these cases, we report the category White, rather than White, not Hispanic.

Family status

Married

Specific employment barriers

Had a mental illness	57%
Had a substance abuse disorder	88%
Were involved with the justice system	100%
Were fomerly incarcerated	100%
Were experiencing homelessness	67%
Were military veterans	100%

Program implementation

Implementing organization:

Not available

Program history:

AF was an existing service for veterans before the start of the study. The addition of IPS, which the program group received, was introduced to the program at the time of the study.

Program services:

The program group received AF with additional IPS services. AF was a small-group, one-week program serving veterans who were formerly incarcerated with at least one prior felony conviction and who had been diagnosed with a substance use disorder, mental illness, or both. In AF, participants explored their career goals, discussed their employment history, developed a basic resume, and considered the employment challenges faced by veterans. After AF, participants moved into IPS, a program founded on a set of core principles—including small caseloads and rapid job searches—with the intention of helping people find and keep jobs. Supported employment specialists (SESs), who were trained rehabilitation counselors, provided individual job search services within two weeks of participation in AF. SESs contacted employers on participants' behalf to connect participants to employment and to work with employers to develop positions suitable for participants. SESs partnered with participants' treatment teams as part of the employment services they provided. IPS lasted until the participant found a job, but participants could choose to receive ongoing support from the SESs after they were employed.

Mandatory services:

None

Comparison services:

The comparison group participated in the AF vocational program but did not receive any IPS services.

Service receipt duration:

Participant outcomes were studied over a period of six months, and participants could receive ongoing services during that time.

Program funding:

Not known

Study publications

LePage, James P., Avery A. Lewis, April M. Crawford, Julie A. Parish, Lisa Ottomanelli, Edward L. Washington, and Daisha J. Cipher (2016). Incorporating individualized placement and support principles into vocational rehabilitation for formerly incarcerated veterans, Psychiatric Services 67(7): 735-742. Available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27032655/.

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Pathways to Work refers to programs by the names used in study reports or manuscripts. Some program names may use language that is not consistent with our style guide, preferences, or the terminology we use to describe populations.

Study of Individual Placement and Support (IPS)