Career adaptability, hope and life satisfaction in workers with intellectual disability

• Current work market is impacting in particular individuals with disability.
• Career adaptability and hope are relevant to cope with the current work context.
• We test a partial mediational model among career adaptability and life satisfaction through adaptability.
• Career adaptability indirectly, through agency and pathway, predicted life satisfaction.

The unpredictable and unstable current work market is impacting in particular at-risk workers, such as individuals with disability. Based on Life Design approach, the present study focused on two variables, career adaptability and hope, relevant to coping with the current work context and their role in affecting life satisfaction. A partial mediational model between career adaptability and life satisfaction, through agency and pathway (hope), was tested. 120 (60 women and 60 men) adult workers with mild intellectual disability were involved. Results provided support for the model. Specifically, career adaptability indirectly, through agency and pathway, predicted life satisfaction. These results have important implications for practice and underscore the need to support workers with disability in their life design process.