# Impact of employment and income support interventions on the health of young adults with episodic disability: Findings from a systematic review

## TL;DR

This study reviews how employment and income support interventions affect the health of young adults with episodic disabilities.

## Contribution

The study provides a systematic review of interventions targeting health outcomes in young adults with episodic disabilities.

## Key findings

- Five studies showed that employment interventions improved health outcomes for young adults with episodic disabilities.
- Supported employment interventions were particularly beneficial for work and health outcomes.
- Most studies focused on mental health conditions and showed medium-quality evidence.

## Abstract

Young adults living with episodic disabilities face unpredictable
disruptions to their employment and health. Our study aimed to
examine the impact of employment and income support interventions on
the health and well-being of young adults living with episodic
disabilities.

We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed intervention
studies published in 2001–2021 in industrialized contexts. Two
independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full-texts. We
undertook a narrative synthesis of eligible articles.

Our search yielded 15,269 published articles, of which only five
studies were eligible for evidence synthesis. All articles were
appraised as being of medium quality. Four interventions focused on
young adults living with mental health conditions. Two were based in
clinical settings; three were based in community-based settings.
Each employment intervention exhibited improvements in health
outcomes. Three studies examined the impact of supported employment
interventions that were particularly beneficial to improving work
and health outcomes.

Involvement in employment interventions could provide benefits
for the health of young adults with episodic disability. Our
systematic review highlights the need to for research to elaborate
on the ways in which employment interventions can impact the health
and well-being of young adults living with different episodic
disabilities.