Background: Vocational assessment and vocational rehabilitation have been recognized as important components of drug treatment. Purpose: This study examined the vocational profiles of IDUs on three vocational assessment instruments, My Vocational Situation (MVS), the Self-Directed Search and the Reading-Free Vocational Interest Inventory. It also explored gender differences between the profiles. Methods: 80 unemployed IDUs participated in the study, which used standardized vocational assessment instruments and their scores were compared to a normative group. Results: The mean VI score for men on the MVS questionnaire (M=11.35, SD=4.29) was lower than the mean VI score for men in the normative group (M=12.28, SD=4.28), z=1.76, p < .05. The mean OI score for sample men was also lower (M=2.44, SD=1.49) than the normative group (M=2.87, SD=1.35), z=2.58, p < .01. The mean Barriers score was also lower for men in the sample group (M=2.48, SD=1.30) compared to the normative group (M=3.37, SD=.90), z=8.03, p < .001. Scores for women were also lower than the normative group but did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Both men and women scored lower on all aspects of the MVS questionnaire, but only the scores for men were statistically significant. The very low mean scores for men on the Barriers component suggests that men in the sample group perceive many more external barriers to occupational goals than the sample women.
Learning Objectives: The audience will be able to identify gender differences in perception of barriers to vocational rehabilitation among injection drug users.
Keywords: Injection Drug Users,
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