Application of Time Use Research to the Study of Life with a Disability

Time use among individuals with persistent mental illness: Identifying risk factors for imbalance in daily activities

“…Recent research has focused on gaining more knowledge on what constitutes the optimal pattern of activities for individuals with PMI, in relation to health and wellbeing [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. The most developed method for investigating activity patterns is the time-use method, measuring the time spent in different categories of daily activities by using an activity diary [2,[13][14][15]. The individuals report the activities they have been engaged in, when and for how long during the day, and sometimes also how the activity was perceived.…”

“…Furthermore, the assessment could have been obtrusive since the participants knew they were being assessed. Difficulties in recalling all events during the interview when using the yesterday diary have also been highlighted by Pentland and McColl [15]. Furthermore, the categorisation of the reported activities, made by the first author, implies a subjective interpretation of the activity to fit a specific category.…”

Time use and daily activities in people with persistent mental illness

“…The present study had a cross-sectional design and is based on a single time measure, which is an important limitation concerning the validity of the study in terms of its potential for revealing causal relationships. However, most time-use studies are designed with this approach (Pentland and McColl, 1999). People engage in daily activities and perceive their health and well-being in many different ways during different seasons and over their lifetime.…”

“…People recall different events and time differently in this kind of interview situation, especially persons with cognitive limitations. Moreover, the responses could have been affected by a wish for integrity and social acceptability, which could influence the participants' willingness to report activities such as, for example, sexual activities, alcohol abuse or other intimate activities (Lawton, 1999;Pentland and McColl, 1999). Further, the categorization of the reported activities, performed by the first author, could have been biased.…”

Past Negative Time Perspective as a Predictor of Grade Point Average in Occupational Therapy Doctoral Students

“…Analyses of time use can contribute to our understanding of occupational balance and engagement and be an important tool for assessing well-being, health, and productivity (Pentland & McColl, 1999). Time is not just objective (e.g., clock time, uses of time) but also subjective, with individuals each having a unique perception of time (Zimbardo & Boyd, 2008).…”