Background/Purpose:

Post-secondary schooling and/or obtaining employment are milestones of a successful transition to adulthood. It is unclear if young adults, ages 18 to 29 years, with arthritis participate in transitional roles similar to their non-arthritis peers. This study compares employment and education participation of young adults with an arthritis diagnosis (“Have you ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that you have some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus, or fibromyalgia?”) to their peers without arthritis. 

Methods:

Data from years 2009 to 2013 of the National Health Interview Survey, an ongoing in-home interview survey, nationally representative of the U.S. civilian non-institutionalized population, were analyzed. Our sample was restricted to adults aged 18-29 who were either diagnosed with arthritis (n = 951) or not (n = 28,734). Respondents who were employed or students were grouped together as those participating in transitional social roles. Demographic characteristics, health factors, and health system use were also analyzed. Weighted proportions with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated accounting for complex sample design. Non-overlapping CIs indicated significant differences.  

Results:

Young adults with arthritis participated in transitional roles (67.7%, 95%CI = 63.9-71.6) less frequently than their non-arthritis peers (78.5%, 95%CI = 77.7-79.2). While young adults with arthritis were employed in similar proportions (61.7%, 95%CI = 57.5-65.8) to those without arthritis (66.0%, 95%CI = 65.1-66.9), they reported being students about half as often (6.7%, 95%CI = 4.4-9.0 vs. 12.7%, 95%CI = 11.9-13.5). Young adults with arthritis also reported not participating in employment due to disability almost six times as often (11.6%, 95%CI = 9.0-14.1 vs. 2.0, 95%CI = 1.8-2.3) when compared to those without arthritis. Young adults with arthritis were more often female, married, with fair/poor health, obese, and reported more comorbid conditions. Participants with arthritis also reported attending >5 annual doctor visits more often, and less prevalence of health insurance coverage. 

Conclusion:

Arthritis in young adulthood is associated with lower participation in transitional social roles and higher disability. Role participation restrictions, especially in education, may have potential long-term career consequences for young people with arthritis and may limit competitivness in a knowledge-based economy that requires specialized skills. Additional research is required to understand how work context factors, psychosocial perceptions, and relationships with close others can influence the transition to adult roles for people with arthritis.

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ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/does-arthritis-in-the-young-adult-life-phase-impact-involvement-in-transitional-social-roles/