Determinants of wanting to seek full versus part-time paid employment among people with severe mental illness

Background: Most people with severe mental illness are not in paid employment. The cost is high, economically and in terms of social exclusion. Aim: To investigate the number of weekly hours that such people want to be in competitive paid employment and the reasons why. Methods: Baseline clinical and demographic data were analysed for 219 people with severe mental illness participating in an RCT of supported employment in London, England. Results: Self-esteem, quality of life, symptom severity and general level of functioning did not largely explain wanting part or full-time work. The latter was significantly associated with having more unmet needs (p = 0.01) and not receiving Incapacity Benefit and/or Income Support (p = 0.04). However, 31% (55/178) of those receiving these benefits did want full-time work, desiring a significantly higher rate of pay than those wanting to work up to 16 hours or 17 to 34 hours per week (p