A Survival Model of Work Life Expectancy After Multiple Sclerosis: Relationships With Race/Ethnicity, Education, MS, and Aging Factors

We used a survival model to identify the relationships of demographic, educational, and disease factors with predicted work life expectancy (WLE) after multiple sclerosis (MS). Self-report data were collected from 1320 MS participants who identified MS as a specialty hospital in the Southeastern USA, 977 of whom reported being employed for at least 1 year after diagnosis. A Cox survival model was generated to identify factors associated with WLE, which reflects the number of years employed after MS diagnosis and the hazard of departure from the labor force (i.e., job loss) for those still employed. In the multivariate model, race, age, and multiple disease factors were significantly associated with the hazard of employment loss. Non-Hispanic Blacks had a greater hazard of job loss compared with non-Hispanic whites. Age was inversely related to job loss. Of the disease factors, cognitive limitations and MS severity were most likely related to the hazard of job loss. The findings suggest the need for targeted interventions to enhance WLE, particularly for non-Hispanic Blacks and those with more severe MS symptoms, including cognitive impairments. The distribution of WLE by characteristic helps identify the targets for job retention.