Engagement in occupations among men and women with schizophrenia

Abstract

This study describes engagement in daily occupations of 10 women and 10 men with schizophrenia. A 24-hour diary of time use and interview were used and analysed by content analysis. Three levels of occupational engagement were identified; (1) mainly disengaged throughout the day, (2) disengaged during some part of the day, and (3) largely engaged in occupations during the day. Each level of occupational engagement was related to a daily rhythm and a sense of meaning. The results of the content analysis showed that levels of engagement ranged from performing mostly quiet activities, alone, with little sense of meaning, to engaging in meaningful occupations that involved social interactions. In general female participants preferred activities in their home environment while males preferred activities outside their home environment. Although this study was limited by geographic and cultural boundaries, as well by the sample size, the results showed that being diagnosed as having schizophrenia does not necessarily mean having an impoverished lifestyle. Thus, it is important for occupational therapists to identify these variations in engagement in order to have a realistic point of departure in the evaluation process and in forming a therapeutic alliance with the client. In future research, methods need to be developed that can gather extensive information on how occupational engagement is related to health and well-being in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia.

A Phenomenological Study of Occupational Engagement in Recovery from Mental Illness

“…The findings move beyond a focus on typical occupational performance and respond to the call to explore the experience and meaning within different forms of engagement (Doble & Caron Santha, 2008;Polatajko et al, 2007). This focus aligns with the research of Berjerholm and Eklund (2006Eklund ( , 2007, who found that different levels of engagement had an associated rhythm and sense of meaning for people experiencing schizophrenia. They concluded that high levels of engagement should not be the only goal for people in recovery, and activities that facilitate self-definition and correspond to the internal needs of being are equally as important.…”

“…Other research has explored occupational engagement in the everyday lives of people with mental health issues (e.g., Bejerholm & Eklund, 2006, 2007 but has focused on broader patterns of engagement rather than specific experiences of occupation. Hasselkus (2002) has stressed that engagement in occupation for the sake of the experience, for how someone feels when doing, is equally if not more important than its outcome or purpose.…”

Factors Influencing Occupational Engagement in Day Centers for People with Psychiatric Disabilities

“…Community-based day centers (DCs) form a common alternative for people with psychiatric disabilities in order to break isolation due to mental illness and become more engaged in occupations (Bejerholm & Eklund, 2006;Bryant, 2009;Catty, Goddard, & Burns, 2005a).…”

“…The concept of occupational engagement (OE), which in this study includes engagement in all kinds of everyday activities, has been derived from qualitative timeuse studies (Bejerholm & Eklund, 2004, 2006 and concerns the extent to which a person; experiences a sense of meaning in occupations, has a range and variety of different occupations that create a daily rhythm, interacts with others and acts independently and initiates occupations.…”

“…OE thus concerns commitment in a broader social context and during a recovery process, and in any rehabilitation context, a person can exhibit different levels that may vary along a continuum ranging from less engagement to full engagement in occupations (Bejerholm & Eklund, 2006;Sutton, Hocking, & Smythe, 2012). Previous research has shown that DCs tend to include activities with both high and low levels of occupational demands in productive occupations (Tjörnstrand, Bejerholm, & Eklund, 2011), and may consequently generate different levels of occupational engagement.…”