Job satisfaction and job success as moderators of the self-esteem of people with mental illnesses

This study investigated job satisfaction and job success as moderators of the self-esteem of people with mental illnesses. Prior studies and models had produced contradictory findings so that the appropriateness of self-esteem as an outcome variable for psychiatric rehabilitation employment services was in doubt. Job satisfaction and success measures for 65 employed and 170 unemployed individuals with mental illnesses along with their work status and work status duration measures were combined in a single multiple regression analysis with self-esteem as the criterion. The job satisfaction and success measures were found to be significant and moderate level moderators of self-esteem for the combined sample and separately for the employed and unemployed samples. It appears that self-esteem varies with satisfaction and success with the work status and not with work status alone. These findings suggested that self-esteem was an appropriate and modifiable outcome measure for psychiatric rehabilitation services. Some practical, theoretical, and policy implications of these results were also discussed.