Health-related quality of life of women with disabilities in relation to their employment status

Abstract

Aim: To compare the health-related quality of life of unemployed and employed women with disabilities and establish factors affecting their life satisfaction. Methods: The study included 318 women with disabilities, 160 of whom were employed and 158 unemployed, paired according to age and region of residence. The health-related quality of life was assessed by The World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire, and social demographics and factors affecting life satisfaction were collected by a general questionnaire. The factors affecting life satisfaction were defined according to respondents' statements. Results: Unemployed women with disabilities had a lower mean score (±standard deviation) on all health-related QoL domains: psychological health (14.52 ± 2.80 vs 15.94 ± 2.55), social relationships (15.12 ± 3.08 vs 16.06 ± 2.69), environment (12.80 ± 2.78 vs 13.87 ± 2.49), as well as on a separate item of self-assessed health (3.33 ± 1.16 vs 3.56 ± 0.92) than their employed counterparts (P < 0.01). This disparity was not found only in the domain of physical health. The largest positive impact on life satisfaction in both groups was family. Conclusion: As disabled women are a particularly vulnerable population group, stressing the importance of employment and family as factors affecting their quality of life may help equalizing opportunities and upgrading the quality of life of all - particularly unemployed women with disabilities.