Education and employment participation in young adulthood. What role does arthritis play?

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between arthritis diagnosis and educational and employment participation among young adults, and to determine whether findings differ by self-rated health and age. METHODS: Data from the National Health Interview Survey, years 2009 to 2015, were combined and analyzed. Our sample was restricted to those aged 18-29 years either diagnosed with arthritis (n = 1,393) or not (n = 40,537). Prevalence and correlates of employment and educational participation were compared by arthritis status. Demographic characteristics, social role participation restrictions, health factors, and health system use variables were included as covariates. Models were stratified for age (18-23 versus 24-29) and self-rated health. Weighted proportions, univariate, and multivariate associations were calculated to examine the association between arthritis and educational and employment participation. RESULTS: Arthritis respondents were more likely to be female, married, report more social participation restrictions, fair/poor health, and functional limitations than those without arthritis. In multivariate models, arthritis was significantly associated with lower education (PR = 0.75; 95%CI 0.57-0.98) and higher employment participation (PR = 1.07; 95%CI 1.03-1.13). Additional stratified analyses indicated that the association between arthritis diagnosis and greater employment participation was uncovered for those aged 18-23 years and reporting higher self-rated health. CONCLUSION: Young adults with arthritis may be transitioning into employment at an earlier age than their non-arthritis peers. To inform the design of interventions that promote employment participation, there is a need for future research to better understand the educational and employment experiences of young adults with arthritis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.