The influence of clinical and sociodemographic variables on employment and education for Danish youth with a psychotic disorder: a population-based national registry study

PURPOSE: This population-based cohort study aimed to examine how clinical and sociodemographic characteristics are associated with employment and educational status 3 and 5 years after a first-episode psychotic disorder. METHODS: The study included individuals diagnosed with a psychotic disorder between 2012 and 2017 in the Central Denmark Region. Register-based data were obtained from the CROSS-TRACKS cohort. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between sociodemographic and clinical factors and the likelihood of being employed or enrolled in education at 3- and 5-year follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 2,493 individuals aged 18-35 years were included in the analyses. At 3- and 5- years post-diagnosis, 19.6% and 21.6%, respectively, were employed or enrolled in education. In adjusted analyses, baseline employment or educational participation and being married were associated with higher odds of attachment at both follow-up time points. Female sex was associated with lower odds of attachment at the 3-year follow-up only, while schizophrenia was associated with lower odds of employment or educational engagement at the 5-year follow-up. More frequent psychiatric outpatient visits during the first two years post-diagnosis were associated with higher odds of attachment at both follow-up points, whereas psychiatric hospitalization was associated with lower odds. CONCLUSION: Marital status, employment or educational participation at diagnosis, and engagement with psychiatric outpatient care were associated with later attachment to employment or education, highlighting the importance of early and sustained support following first-episode psychosis.