Mental Health Clients Confirm the Motivating Power of Occupation

Abstract

Most occupational therapists, like the founders of the profession, believe that engagement in meaningful occupation is fundamental in helping to overcome the effects of disability. This paper describes the method and one of the resulting themes of a study that investigated the value, related to personal meaning, of occupation from the perspective of people with enduring mental health problems. Qualitative research methods were used in two mental health day service settings: a workshop, where woodwork was provided as a medium for creative therapy, and a drop-in facility. Clients were asked about their motivation, their occupational experiences and any benefits that engagement in occupation might have had for them. Participant observation was undertaken over 10 sessions and six in-depth interviews were conducted. The findings emerged through content and inductive analysis, as well as analytical triangulation of the data. Occupation was identified as a means for generating intrinsic motivation. By providing a sense of purpose and a structuring of time, within an empowering environment, engagement in occupation was seen to be of value and had personal meaning for the clients. However, more research needs to be undertaken to augment the findings. Such evidence will support increased provision of occupation for people whose lives have been severely disrupted by mental health problems.

Participation by doing: Social interaction in everyday activities among persons with schizophrenia

“…This is in line with another study (31), which found that being outside the home environment was experienced as more stimulating to activity performance than staying at home. Another aspect to be addressed relating to the environment is ''normality''.…”

Experience of meaning in everyday occupations among unemployed people with severe mental illness

“…Being creative and seeking knowledge gave meaning, as shown in previous research (17)(18). This facilitated a view of a positive future self, which is in line with Hammell's (10) term "becoming".…”

“…Two related studies (17)(18) investigated the value perceived by people attending mental health day service settings. The findings showed that value was seen in terms of; generating motivation (having a sense of purpose, organizing time and being influenced by the environment), building competence (acquiring skills, coping with challenge and experiencing achievement) and developing self-identity (being driven to create, being useful and generated a sense of self).…”

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

“…The time spent in extrinsically motivated but still individually meaningful occupations may theoretically impact the attendee's intrinsic motivation over time (Deci & Ryan, 2008;Kielhofner, 2008). This reasoning is in agreement with qualitative studies, showing that doing triggers more engagement, which then leads to a spin-off effect in terms of further activity (Leufstadius, Eklund, & Erlandsson, 2009;Rebeiro & Cook, 1999) and intrinsic motivation (Mee & Sumsion, 2001). In the present study, setting own individual goals was highlighted as important for OE.…”