Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a lifelong central nervous system disorder that is precipitated by a range of biological, psycho-cognitive, and social factors. The aims of this exploratory study were to (a) identify biopsychosocial and cognitive factors that may affect an individual’s response to FM, (b) determine whether individuals with FM can be grouped into homogeneous subgroups based on biopsychosocial factors associated with response to FM, and (c) compare subgroup differences in health outcomes and life satisfaction. This study included 302 participants with FM. Principal components analysis yielded three sets of biopsychosocial factors that may affect response to FM (i.e., protective, cognitive-affective, and physical factors). Based on these three factors, a cluster analysis was performed, which produced three homogeneous subgroups: (a) the moderate amount of problems group, (b) the least amount of problems group, and (c) the many problems group. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results indicated that these three subgroups differed significantly in terms of health outcomes and life satisfaction. The findings of this study broaden the existing literature related to understanding FM from a multidimensional symptom response perspective and contribute to the development and validation of biopsychosocial interventions for people with FM.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides an appropriate framework for conceptualizing cases within vocational rehabilitation (VR) programs. VR counselors can improve service delivery by using the framework and tools of the ICF, including the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0), the ICF Checklist 2.1, and the ICF Core Sets. VR counselors can more readily begin the initial step of evidence-based practice (i.e., formulating well-defined, answerable questions) by using the ICF framework and its tools to identify and categorize common barriers and facilitators among VR consumers. The ICF framework and its tools are described in relation to their potential utilization in VR practice. In addition, specific case examples are given, describing how VR counselors can incorporate ICF perspectives and tools into their practice. The authors briefly describe training resources, future directions, and other considerations for the use of the ICF in VR settings.

This study examined the resilience experiences of 13 sexual and gender minority persons living with disabilities, using phenomenological qualitative methodology. Researchers used in-depth, semi-structured interviews and various trustworthiness standards in the study. Participants endorsed four common resilience maximizers—self-acceptance, advocacy, social support, and a plea for recognition of humanity (an aspirational resilience maximizer)—and three common resilience minimizers—fragmentation, identity concealment, and punishment. Counseling implications and future research directions are also discussed.

Although older adults with disabilities have a need and desire to be productive, for many this takes the form of work, they often face barriers in finding and maintaining employment. To improve understanding of employment characteristics and needs for older adults with disabilities in Korea, this study examined their employment rates (ER) from a life-span perspective. A dataset on individuals from age 41 to 75 (N = 4,211) from the Panel Survey of Employment for the Disabled (PSED), collected by the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled (KEAD) from 2008 to 2015, was used. The study looked at whether ER were significantly different among age ranges of older adults with disabilities in Korea and also what factors predict their ER, using ANOVA (analysis of variance) and tobit regression. As a result, the study confirmed factors influencing employment with older adults with disabilities, including demographic factors, disability factors, health-related factors, and psychosocial factors, varied for different age groups. This implies that it is crucial to attend to the diverse needs of individuals with disabilities at various ages, and vocational rehabilitation services need to be customized for different age groups.

The theory of intersectionality posits that people possess multiple identities varying in the level of privilege and oppression. The current study assesses participants’ prosocial behavior toward a target possessing sexual, disability, and gender minority identities. Prosociality was measured using the validated and reliable dictator game. The authors predicted that targets with increased minority identities would receive less prosocial behavior from their partner than targets with fewer intersecting identities. Contrary to our hypothesis, it was found that participants were significantly more prosocial toward targets with a disability, than toward targets without. Consistent with our hypothesis, these researchers found that participants were significantly less likely to be prosocial toward targets who were gay than straight. These results have implications for rehabilitation counselors working with clients with intersecting marginalized identities. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to experimentally explore observed prosocial behavior toward individuals with intersecting gender, disability, and sexual minority identities.