 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Marjorie L. Baldwin, PhD, W.P. Carey School of Business - Health Administration and Policy, Arizona State University, PO Box 874506, Tempe, AZ 85287-4506, 4809657868, marjorie.baldwin@asu.edu and Steven C. Marcus, PhD, University of Pennsylvania, 215 South 24th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
Research shows that discrimination contributes to the low wages and employment rates of persons with disabilities, and that discrimination is weakly correlated with the intensity of prejudice against different impairments (Baldwin and Johnson, 1994, 2000). Persons with mental disorders are subject to relatively strong prejudice (Royal and Roberts 1987; Westbrook, et al. 1993), but there are no studies of labor market discrimination specifically focused on mental disorders.
This project uses data from the 1997 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to estimate the extent of labor market discrimination experienced by persons with different types of mental disorders. Estimates of discrimination are derived using a decomposition technique that separates differences in the mean wages or employment rates of two groups of workers into an explained part attributed to differences in productivity-related characteristics, and an unexplained part attributed to discrimination. The decompositions are based on preliminary wage and employment models estimated with multivariate regression techniques. Key explanatory variables in the models include workers’ demographic and human capital characteristics (including education and work experience), non-wage incomes, job characteristics (if employed), and functional limitations associated with health conditions.
The project represents the first rigorous economic analysis of labor market discrimination against persons with mental disorders. It is timely because of the employment mandates of the ADA, and because recent advances in medications for serious mental disorders enable many persons with these illnesses to function at a level where they are able to work. Yet they may still be barred from successful employment outcomes by discrimination.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Mental Disorders, Economic Analysis
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.