To study the relationship between the employment status of patients, divided into three functional groups, and clinical and cognitive variables.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) has a negative effect on the employment status of patients. They may not only lose their jobs, but also face irregularities in their status, such as the presence of negative work events. The identification of risk factors for unemployment is a necessary approach to intervene in favor of these patients. 

140 patients with MS were included (Relapse-Remitting: 130; Secondary Progressive: 3 and Primary Progressive: 7); 60.7% women; Age: 40.11 ± 10.59; ºÃÉ«ÏÈÉú: 14.01 ± 3.07. Buffalo Vocational Monitoring Scale, Expanded Disability Status Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Beck Depression Inventory II and BICAMS Battery (Symbol Digit Test; California Verbal Learning Test and Visual Memory Test) were administered. Patients will be divided into three functional groups: Work-Stable, Work-Challenged and Work-Disabled. Parametric and non-parametric statistics were used, and p<0.05 was accepted as the significance value.

The results of the clinical variables are physical disability: 2.71 ± 2.43; depression: 13.39 ± 9.81; fatigue: 4.03 ± 1.75; evolution of the disease: 9.60 ± 7.04. 69 patients were included in Work-Stable, 19 in Work-Challenged and 36 Work-Disabled groups. 16 patients belong to the group of homemakers, retirees and students. Work Stable group differs from the Disabled group according to the level of education (p = 0.02), in attentional performance (p<0.01) and visual memory (p = 0.01). The Work-Challenged group reported higher levels of depression (p = 0.02) compared to the Work-Stable group. No statistically significant differences were found between the groups of Work-Challenged and Work-Disabled.