The Working Life of People with Degenerative Cerebellar Ataxia

• Published in: Cerebellum (London, England) Vol. 18; no. 5; pp. 910 - 921
• Main Authors: Ranavolo, A., Serrao, M., Varrecchia, T., Casali, C., Filla, A., Roca, A., Silvetti, A., Marcotulli, C., Rondinone, B. M., Iavicoli, S., Draicchio, F.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.10.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Ataxia; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cerebellar ataxia; Cerebellar Ataxia - epidemiology; Cerebellar Ataxia - psychology; Cerebellar Ataxia - rehabilitation; Cerebellum; Employment - psychology; Etiology; Female; Friedreich's ataxia; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neurobiology; Neurodegenerative Diseases - epidemiology; Neurodegenerative Diseases - psychology; Neurodegenerative Diseases - rehabilitation; Neurology; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Prospective Studies; Right to Work; Surveys and Questionnaires; Workers; Young Adult; Degenerative cerebellar ataxia; Working life; Work activity related scales
• ISSN: 1473-4222; 1473-4230; 1473-4230
• DOI: 10.1007/s12311-019-01065-x

The aim of the present study was to characterize and analyze the most important individual and organizational variables associated with job accommodation in subjects with degenerative cerebellar ataxia by administering a series of international and validated work activity-related scales. Twenty-four workers (W) and 58 non-workers (NW) were recruited: 34 with autosomal dominant ataxia and 48 with autosomal recessive ataxia (27 with Friedreich ataxia and 21 with sporadic adult-onset ataxia of unknown etiology). The severity of ataxia was rated using the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia. Our results showed that the ataxic W were predominantly middle-aged (41–50 years), high school graduate, and married men with a permanent work contract, who had been working for more than 7 years. The W with ataxia exhibited a good level of residual working capacity, irrespective of gender, age range, and duration of the disease, and they were observed to have a low or average-to-low job stress-related risk. Supporting patients with ataxia to find an appropriate job is an important priority because about 78% of NW search for a job and W and NW have the same potential work abilities (no relevant differences were found in terms of disease characteristics, gender, and work resilience). In this view, introducing NW to work-life may have a potential rehabilitative aspect. Findings of this study highlight that equal job opportunities for subjects affected by cerebellar ataxia are recommended.