Pet Ownership as a Meaningful Community Occupation for People With Serious Mental Illness

Zimolag, Ulrike; Krupa, Terry

doi:10.5014/ajot.63.2.126

Cited by 56 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 72 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In a sample of persons with persistent mental illness, the EMAS demonstrated adequate test-retest reliability and a low positive relationship with life satisfaction (Goldberg et al). Scores for the EMAS have also been shown to vary as a function of pet ownership for persons with serious mental illnesses (Zimolag & Krupa, 2009). In a study involving older adults (Eakman, Carlson, & Clark, in press) convergent validity was evidenced by significant correlations between the EMAS and measures of meaning and purpose in life, depressive symptomology, life satisfaction, and health-related quality of life.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Convergent Validity of the Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey in a College Sample

Eakman¹

2010

OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS) (Goldberg, Brintnell, & Goldberg, 2002) demonstrated sufficient psychometric properties in sample (N = 122) of adults. The EMAS was found to have adequate test-retest (r = .71) and internal consistency reliability (α = .88), significant positive correlations between the EMAS and the subscales of the Basic Psychological Needs Scale and the Sources of Meaning Profile and negative zero-order correlations were found with short form versions of the Boredom Proneness Scale and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scales.Step-wise multiple regression analyses results showed the Sources of Meaning Profile, Boredom Proneness Scale, and Competence subscale of the Basic Psychological Needs scale best predicted the EMAS. These results lend additional construct validity evidence in support of the EMAS as a brief measure of meaningful activity participation. asserted that occupational therapy has privileged goal-oriented purposeful occupations despite a lack of substantive evidence. Further, she argues that differing perspectives on activity purpose and meaning have hampered theory development in occupational therapy. As an example, Nelson (1988Nelson ( , 1996 has posited the critical importance of interpreting meaning from an occupational form as a basis for establishing the purpose of a given activity. However, Trombly (1995) has suggested that activity meaning is necessarily informed by its purpose and the perceived value of task accomplishment. According to Trombly, an activity with a clear therapeutic purpose may have no inherent meaning to an individual. Though Fisher (1998) had attempted to reconcile this discrepancy, empirical data explicating the differential functioning of activity meaning and purpose are limited (Ferguson & Trombly, 1997).More recent perspectives in occupational therapy and occupational science contextualize meaningful activity within the life-course, and tend to favor sociocultural and phenomenological approaches to understanding human experience. For instance, Crabtree (1998) speculated that intrinsic motivation drives occupational performance, thereby imbuing activity with meaning.Additionally, Jackson, Carlson, Mandel, Zemke, and Clark (1998) support the importance of accessing personal values and experiences as critical constituents of activity meaning (i.e., Csikszentmihalyi, 1990;Kaufman, 1986;Schultz & Heckhausen, 1996). Further, Christiansen 4 (1999) proposed that competence, personal identity, and the social nature of a person's life serve to situate activity meaning within the life course thereby contributing to a sense of life purpose and meaning. Finally, attributing meaning to activity is considered to be dynamic and changeable, necessitating narrative and sociocultural perspectives to explain the complexity of the underlying processes (Jonsson & Josephsson, 2005).By incorporating multiple theories from the fields of occupational therapy, nursing, social work, and psychology King (2004) has proffered a meta-model of meaning i...

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Convergent Validity of the Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey in a College Sample

Eakman¹

2010

OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Considered through this lens, pet ownership has potential as a form of occupation which can improve the quality of living and life satisfaction levels of people with serious mental illnesses as well (Goldberg et al 2002;Zimolag and Krupa 2009). Positive effects from companion animal studies are backed up by reports of people with serious mental illnesses reporting that they felt the animals provided opportunities to care for a living creature, without the complexities often present in a human relationship (De Souza 2000).…”

Section: Wysong 2000mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Contact with pets, caring for and ownership of pets, provides abundant occupational opportunities with personal and social meaning, involving many activities and experiences which enrich and enhance human lives (Zimolag and Krupa 2009). Most pet owners have reported that pets provided them with added opportunities for relationships, fun, play, exercise and a sense of security (Willis 1997).…”

Section: Wysong 2000mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is also vital to keep in mind during the discussion that follows, that people with serious mental illness experience greater marginalisation in society, face occupational imbalances, and have expressed the desire to participate in occupations which facilitate social interactions and the opportunity to live as"normal" a life as possible under prevailing circumstances (Zimolag and Krupa 2009). In this context, the numerous studies on the benefits of interaction with animals and their association with engaging in meaningful activities, which leads to multi-dimensional community participation, cited in section 5.6, should be considered alongside the many ecotherapeutic approaches described in sections 5.1 to 5.5.…”

Section: That Which Is Non Human Can Touch and Open The Human Heart mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent study on pet ownership showed that pet owners with serious mental illnesses living in the community engage in more meaningful activities and demonstrate better physical, social and psychological community integration than those living without pets (Zimolag and Krupa 2009). …”

Section: Wysong 2000mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Development of an Enhanced Extension Agent Training to Create Butterfly Gardens in Louisiana

Fontenot¹,

Morgan²,

Owings³

2015

Journal of Agricultural and Urban Entomology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Exploring the Role of Social Support in Promoting Community Integration: An Integrated Literature Review

Terry

Townley

2019

American J of Comm Psychol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Pet Ownership as a Meaningful Community Occupation for People With Serious Mental Illness

Abstract: The key finding supports the hypothesis that pet owners with serious mental illness living in the community demonstrate higher social community integration. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Cited by 56 publications

References 72 publications

Convergent Validity of the Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey in a College Sample

Convergent Validity of the Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey in a College Sample

The Development of an Enhanced Extension Agent Training to Create Butterfly Gardens in Louisiana

Exploring the Role of Social Support in Promoting Community Integration: An Integrated Literature Review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About