Factors influencing disabled people’s professional activity: personal and social capital

Abstract

The following article is the second in a series (see „Nauka” 1/2008) presenting the results concerning the relationship between personal and social capital and level of life satisfaction among disabled people engaged in various professions. Personal capital is constructed on the basis of early socialization experiences within the family such as: number of responsibilities set by parents, degree of freedom, independent decision making, and parent-child relations. Social capital includes: respondent’s level of education (measured by years of studies), parent’s education, number of acquaintances, number of disabled people among acquaintances, family’s reaction to respondent’s needs and problems, and respondent’s perception of family support. Personal capital is an important predictor of life satisfaction among three subject groups – those engaged in employment activities (employed, formerly employed and searching for work, presently unemployed and not searching for work). Family support was isolated as an important predictor of life satisfaction among all five groups designated by professional status.