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NA’NIZHOOZHI
CENTER
PREDICTORS OF JOB SEEKING BEHAVIORS
A.A. Forcehimes1, J.M. Houck1, M.P. Bogenschutz1, D. Svikis2 , K. Foley3, D.Pallas3, E. Willie3, & J. Bicente3
1University
of New Mexico Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions (CASAA)
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
2Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
3The Na’Nizhoozhi Center Inc., Gallup, NM
INTRODUCTION
• A series of direct logistic regression analyses were performed on employment status as an
outcome. The first model considered the effects of treatment group and four economic
Social support for abstinence and employment are predictors of successful functioning after indicators on the probability of employment. The second and third models examined the
substance abuse treatment (Reynolds, Fisher, Estrada, & Trotter, 2000). Despite high rates of effects of participant age and work history.
unemployment amongst individuals presenting for drug and alcohol treatment, community
RESULTS
treatment programs often lack the resources needed to provide ancillary vocational services.
To address this problem, the Southwest Node of NIDA’s CTN conducted a single-site
adaptation of its national Job Seekers Workshop study (Svikis, P.I.) in a Native American
treatment program in the Southwest region of the U.S: CTN protocol 0020-NCI “Job Seekers
Workshop for Clients/Relatives With Drug Dependence”
Native American participants (N=102) were randomized to either (1) a three session,
manualized program designed to teach individuals the necessary skills to find and secure a
job (JSW) or (2) a 40-minute Job Interviewing Video (JIV). There were no main effects of
treatment on job-seeking behaviors, employment rates, or drug use at either the three-month
or six-month follow-ups in the national Job Seekers Workshop; nor were there main effects in
our single site adaptation.
• When treatment group and regional data including local population density, per capita
income, rural/urban status, and local unemployment rate were considered, only the
unemployment rate in participants’ home region was a significant predictor of employment
at the three-month follow-up (χ2(5, N=102) = 11.773, p < .05). The odds of employment
at three months decreased with higher regional unemployment (OR=.576, p < .05) (See
Figure 1).
SUMMARY
Findings from this study suggest that individual work history and local economic
conditions strongly influence the effectiveness of job-seekers’ efforts, consistent with
findings previously reported by Kanfer et al. (2001).
How much do job-seeking behaviors matter in a location with extremely high
unemployment? Local unemployment rates in this study indicated that jobs were very
scarce in some regions. If jobs were not available, participants would have an extremely
difficult time finding a job despite their newly acquired job-seeking skills. This ceiling
effect may also explain why differences were not observed between the JSW and JIV
interventions.
Although participants in this sample were relatively young, age did predict employment
rates and employment stability in this sample. It is possible that simply having more years
of job-seeking experience may increase an individuals’ ability to find and secure a job.
The Native American counselors who facilitated the JSW intervention also observed that
participants who had previous employment verbalized a higher level confidence in their
ability to find and secure a job than those participants who had little if any previous
employment.
Unemployment problems are often significant in Native American communities (Thomason,
2000). Researchers have indicated several factors that contribute to successful employment
(e.g., Kanfer, Wanberg, & Kantrowitz,, 2001). We were interested in examining whether
individual factors, such as demographics and prior work history and situational factors, such
as local unemployment rates, may function as predictors of employment. To examine what
variables might predict employment success regardless of treatment assignment, this
secondary analysis tested for potential moderating effects of demographics, employment
history, and local economic factors at both the three and six month follow up.
The number of prior jobs a participant held also predicted employment. It is possible that
greater work experience made these participants more attractive candidates to potential
employers. Despite difficult local economic conditions, participants who had maintained
continuous employment since the age of 18 were more successful in getting a job.
Therefore, the present secondary analysis tested for potential moderating effects of gender, • Older participants were more likely to be employed at the six-month follow-up (χ2(1,
tribal affiliation, employment history and local economic factors at both the three-month and
N=102) = 4.247, p < .04). The odds of employment at six months increased with
six-month follow-up points.
increasing age (OR = 1.042, p < .05). (see Figure 2).
METHODS
Participants.
Age and local economic constraints had an effect on the employment status of the
participants in this study. While some variables that predict future employment—such as
local unemployment, age, and work history—are not amenable to employment
interventions, it may be possible to improve employment outcomes by designing
interventions that are tailored to local economic conditions and individual work histories.
REFERENCES
Participants were clients/relatives in a 60-day residential treatment program, based in
traditional Native American healing practices. Participants were currently unemployed or
underemployed. Of 102 participants, 80% were male, 100% were Native American, and
mean age was 36.31 years.
Kanfer, R., Wanberg, C. R., & Kantrowitz, T. M. (2001). Job search and employment: A
personality-motivational analysis and metaanalytic review. Journal of Applied Psychology,
86, 837–855.
Measures.
New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions. New Mexico Labor Market Review,
36(6). Retrieved from
http://www.workforceconnection.state.nm.us/LMI/pdf/lmrjun07.pdf
Intake data were assembled from a pre-treatment Vocational Survey and a demographics
form. Economic indicators for participants’ home regions were collected using publicly
available data.
Vocational Survey: This is an interviewer-administered measure of the participant’s
vocational history and related life experiences. Developed specifically for this study, items
focus on employment history (particularly most recent work experience), previous job
satisfaction, efforts to obtain employment (e.g., answering want ads; talking to friends about
jobs) and self-efficacy expectations for specific job skills.
A BRIDGE TO RECOVERY
• The number of taxed income jobs participants held since their 18th birthdays also
predicted employment at six months (χ2(1, N=102) = 6.520, p < .02). The odds of
employment increased for each additional job held (OR = 1.091, p < .02) (see Figure 3.).
Reynolds, G. L., Fisher, D. G., Estrada, A. L., & Trotter, R. (2000). Unemployment, drug
use, and HIV risk among American Indian and Alaska Native drug users. American Indian
and Alaska Native Mental Health Research, 9(1), 17-32.
Thomason, T. C. (2000). Issues in the treatment of Native Americans with alcohol
problems. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 28(4), 243-252.
Demographics: Assessed age, education, marital status, race and ethnicity
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Local economic conditions: Measures including population density, rural/urban status, and
per capita income were assembled from Census Bureau data for 2000. County-level
unemployment rates from the study onset were concatenated from the NM Department of
Workforce Solutions.
This research was supported in part by NIDA’s Clinical Trials Network, grant
U10DA1533.
Procedures.
Economic measures represented a total of 17 counties across five states. Logistic regression
analyses were conducted to determine whether these economic variables were predictive of
employment status. This technique describes the relationship between predictors and a
discrete outcome. Here, the predicted probabilities are estimates of the impact of the
variables in the model upon the probability of employment.
We are grateful for the support of the Navajo Nation Human Research and
Review Board.
• Gender and tribal affiliation were not significant predictors of employment at any followup.