Work readiness and barriers to employment during COVID-19 for individuals with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1).

Background: The global COVID-19 pandemic has directly impacted individuals with rare diseases who are attempting to maintain or obtain employment. Individuals with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 are especially at risk due to their disease.

Objective: The current study compared the impact that generalized anxiety and quality of life had on work readiness and potential barriers that individuals with NF1 had in gaining and maintaining employment during the COVID-19 pandemic to a sample of healthy individuals using a moderating mediation analysis.

Methods: A total of 213 individuals (105 NF1; 108 Healthy individuals) were recruited to complete a cross-sectional study in which a series of work-related assessments were completed.

Results: Generalized anxiety had an indirect effect on work readiness, fully mediated by barriers, with higher anxiety associated with more barriers, in turn negatively correlating with work readiness; quality of life partially mediated the effect of barriers on work readiness and was negatively associated with the former and positively with the latter.

Conclusion: Quality of life was a mediator of the relationship between perceived employment barriers and work readiness for the healthy individuals group only. The results imply that anxiety and quality of life are significant mediators and require consideration in terms of evaluation and facilitation of employment maintenance and acquisition.