From outsider to participant: a qualitative study about attaining and retaining work among persons with mental illness.

Background: In Norway, the number of people on sick leave and health-related absence from work has increased over the last few years, and mental illness is one of the main contributing factors. Individual Placement and Support (IPS) and the Qualification Program (QP) are two work-oriented measures offered by Norwegian labor and welfare authorities, aimed at increasing labor market participation among people with health-related problems. The aim of this study was to explore which factors people with mental illnesses found helpful for attaining and retaining work, and their experiences with taking part in IPS and the QP.

A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of IPS Supported Employment for Young Adults with Mental Health Conditions.

Young adults with mental health conditions want to work and advance their education, but many need help attaining these goals. Individual Placement and Support (IPS), originally developed for working-age adults with serious mental illness, is an evidence-based employment model that may benefit young adults. This study is the first systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of IPS for this population.

Clinical effectiveness of music interventions for dementia and depression in elderly care (MIDDEL): Australian cohort of an international pragmatic cluster-randomised controlled trial.

Background: Dementia and depression are highly prevalent and comorbid conditions among older adults living in care homes and are associated with individual distress and rising societal costs. Effective, scalable, and feasible interventions are needed. Music interventions have shown promising effects, but the current evidence base is inconclusive.

The Impact of Music on Stress Biomarkers: Protocol of a Substudy of the Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial Music Interventions for Dementia and Depression in ELderly Care (MIDDEL).

Recently, a large cluster-randomized controlled trial was designed-Music Interventions for Dementia and Depression in ELderly care (MIDDEL)-to assess the effectiveness of music interventions on depression in care home residents with dementia (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03496675). To understand the pathophysiological mechanisms, we observed the effect of repeated music interventions on stress in this population since chronic stress was associated with depression and an increased risk for dementia.

The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) in Pain Trial: A Randomized Controlled Trial of IPS for Patients with Chronic Pain Conditions.

Objectives: Although complex pain conditions require an interdisciplinary approach, employment services are rarely provided in pain centers. Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is an effective approach to increase work participation among patients with severe mental illness, and recent evidence suggests that this method can be successfully repurposed for new target groups. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of IPS integrated with interdisciplinary treatment as usual (TAU) for patients with chronic pain in a tertiary pain center.

A mixed methods study of employers' and employees' evaluations of job seekers with a mental illness, disability, or of a cultural minority.

Background: Groups in society that are under-represented in the workforce encounter various barriers in the job-seeking process. Some of these barriers are found on the employer's side of the table.

Objective: This study investigates supervisors' and employees' assessments of job seekers with different forms of disabilities, health issues, or with a minority background.

Development of the workplace inclusion questionnaire (WIQ).

Aims: To develop a questionnaire to examine attitudes among employees and managers to include people with various health problems into their work group, and to test the questionnaire in one relevant population within the labour market.

Methods: A questionnaire was developed through a process involving discussions in a scientific forum and pilot testing with group discussions. The final questionnaire, which was tested in a survey study of managers and employees in 33 Norwegian kindergartens (=485), contained 10 short case stories followed by questions concerning workplace inclusion.

Opportunities and challenges around adapting supported employment interventions for people with chronic low back pain: modified nominal group technique.

Purpose: To identify and rank opportunities and challenges around adapting supported employment interventions for people with chronic low back pain (LBP).

Methods: Delegates from an international back and neck research forum were invited to join an expert panel. A modified nominal group technique (NGT) was used with four stages: silent generation, round robin, clarification, and ranking.

Individual placement and support for young adults at risk of early work disability (the SEED trial). A randomized controlled trial.

Objectives Individual placement and support (IPS) is an effective approach for helping people with severe mental illness gain employment. This study aimed to investigate if IPS can be effectively repurposed to support young adults at risk of early work disability due to various social and health related problems. Methods A randomized controlled trial including 96 young adults (18‒29 years; 68% men) was conducted in Norway.

A short history of individual placement and support in Norway.

Objective: Norway is a high-income and high-cost society with a generous welfare system, and it has the largest mental health-related unemployment gap of the OECD countries. The aim of the current article was to present a short history of Individual Placement and Support (IPS) services to increase work participation in Norway.

Method: We provide a narrative overview of the developments and research on IPS in Norway, from the introduction of supported employment to recent and ongoing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effectiveness of IPS for various target groups.

Young adults at risk of early work disability: who are they?

Background: Young adults that are not in education, training or employment represent a problem across European countries. While some are cases of temporary transitions or short-term inactivity, others represent a more vulnerable group at risk of early work disability. Early exclusion from the labor market represents long lives exposed to detrimental effects of unemployment on health and well-being, and constitutes an economic burden for society.

A randomized controlled multicenter trial of individual placement and support for patients with moderate-to-severe mental illness.

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of individual placement and support (IPS) for people struggling with work participation due to moderate-to-severe mental illness. The study was conducted in Norway, a setting characterized by a comprehensive welfare system and strong employment protection legislation. Methods A randomized controlled multicenter trial including 410 participants was conducted.

Protocol for the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) in Pain Trial: A randomized controlled trial investigating the effectiveness of IPS for patients with chronic pain.

Background: Work disability involves large costs to the society as well as to the individual. Work disability is common among people with chronic pain conditions, yet few effective interventions exist. Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is an evidence-based work rehabilitation model originally developed to help people with severe mental illness obtain and maintain employment.

Barriers to employment for people with severe mental illness and criminal justice involvement.

: People with severe mental illness (SMI) and criminal justice involvement (CJI) are able to achieve competitive employment when provided with evidence-based services, but outcomes are modest compared to studies of SMI in general.: To investigate barriers to employment facing people with SMI and CJI receiving employment services.: Employment service providers assessed top three barriers to employment for 87 people with SMI and CJI enrolled in a randomized controlled trial comparing a job club program to supported employment.

Protocol for the SEED-trial: Supported Employment and preventing Early Disability.

Background: Early withdrawal or exclusion from the labor market leads to significant personal and societal costs. In Norway, the increasing numbers of young adults receiving disability pension is a growing problem. While a large body of research demonstrates positive effects of Supported Employment (SE) in patients with severe mental illness, no studies have yet investigated the effectiveness of SE in young adults with a range of social and health conditions who are receiving benefits.

Cortisol, Health, and Coping in Patients with Nonspecific Low Back Pain.

Subjective health complaints (SHC), including nonspecific low back pain (LBP) as the most common single complaint, are the main reasons for long-term sick leave in many western countries. These complaints are often attributed to "stress". Cortisol has frequently been considered a biomarker reflecting sustained physiological HPA-axis activity, and is characterized by a high cortisol awakening response (CAR) and low evening values.

Protocol for the effect evaluation of Individual Placement and Support (IPS): a randomized controlled multicenter trial of IPS versus treatment as usual for patients with moderate to severe mental illness in Norway.

Background: Roughly one third of disability pensions in Norway are issued for mental and behavioral disorders, and vocational rehabilitation offered to this group has traditionally been dominated by train-and-place approaches with assisted or sheltered employment. Based on a more innovative place-and-train approach, Individual Placement and Support (IPS) involves supported employment in real-life competitive work settings, and has shown great promise for patients with severe mental illness.

Methods/design: The study is a multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) of IPS in a Norwegian context, involving an effect evaluation, a process evaluation, and a cost/benefit analysis.

Assessing the role of cognitive behavioral therapy in the management of chronic nonspecific back pain.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to provide a narrative review of the current state of knowledge of the role of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in the management of chronic nonspecific back pain.

Methods: A literature search on all studies published up until July 2012 (PubMed and PsycINFO) was performed. The search string consisted of 4 steps: cognitive behavioral therapy/treatment/management/modification/intervention, chronic, back pain (MeSH term) or low back pain (MeSH term), and randomized controlled trial (MeSH term).