Labor rehabilitation centers and severe mental disorder: Experience and follow-up of users in the region of Madrid

Abstract

A goal in the treatment of people with severe mental disorder is their insertion in the workplace. Labor rehabilitation centers (CRLs) combine different strategies to promote their employment. The aim is to describe the status of former CRL users after leaving the facility and to identify possible variables related to obtaining employment. An observational study with control group was carried out. The group of subjects who had labor activity after leaving the center (n = 24) was compared with the subjects who had no employment (n = 46) from the CRLs of Retiro and Vallecas. The variables related to obtaining employment were user’s prior clinical status (substance use and number of hospital admissions), direct (p = .019) and indirect (p = .00) support, training in active job search (p = .018), and in CV preparation and interview (p = .006), as well as the type of CRL output (p = .00). The results indicate that the programs that are applied in Labor Rehabilitation Centers are effective for the acquisition and maintenance of employment. A greater number of studies are needed to help better understand these effects.