This study aims to examine the impact of psychosocial factors on employment intention among unemployed individuals with mental disabilities in Korea. Previous research has primarily focused on employed individuals with mental disabilities or the broad...
This study aims to examine the impact of psychosocial factors on employment intention among unemployed individuals with mental disabilities in Korea. Previous research has primarily focused on employed individuals with mental disabilities or the broader population of persons with disabilities, emphasizing determinants of job retention or employment outcomes. In contrast, empirical studies that specifically target unemployed individuals with mental disabilities, particularly those examining employment intention in relation to psychosocial factors, remain scarce. Using data from the 8th survey of the second wave (2023) of the Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled (PSED) in Korea, this study conducted binary logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with employment intention among unemployed individuals with mental disabilities. The findings indicated that among the four psychosocial factors examined—self-esteem, disability acceptance, self-efficacy, and perceived disability-based discrimination—only self-efficacy had a positive and statistically significant effect on employment intention. Among the control variables, which include demographic, economic, and health-related characteristics, gender, education level, and residential area were found to significantly influence employment intention. The study’s finding suggest that employment policies and support programs should extend beyond an exclusive emphasis on structural labor-market interventions and incorporate targeted psychosocial approaches, particularly interventions designed to enhance self-efficacy, in order to more effectively promote employment intention among unemployed individuals with mental disabilities.
Keywords: unemployed Individuals with mental disabilities, employment intention, psychosocial factors, self-efficacy, Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled in Korea