The Debate Over the Social Question in Occupational Therapy: An Integrative Review

Abstract

Introduction: "Social question" refers to the association between work and its social integration in a capitalist society, assuming a new contemporal configuration. Issues arising from the social question challenge professionals from different fields to provide relevant technical answers. Objective: This study aims to understand how occupational therapists have been addressing topics related to social question in occupational therapy journals indexed on Web of Science database. Method: An integrative literature review was conducted (2000-2014) using journals indexed in Thomson Reuters' Web of Science containg the term "occupational therapy" in their titles. Overall, 32 descriptors related to social question were used in our review. Results: The review found 186 texts, for which the abstracts were read and filters were applied to focus on the social question. The remaining 53 texts were read in full and used in our analysis. Several occupational therapy academicians have reflected on the social question. Their focus has mainly been on promoting health and wellness. The present review has a scope limitation because it only analyzes English texts indexed in the Web of Science. Conclusion: Occupational therapists should go beyond health interventions in favor of approaching actions that encompass different fields in order to promote greater social participation for all in a globalized capitalist society.

Cultivating social occupations, spaces, and networks: service providers’ perspectives on enabling immigrants’ social participation

“…Health and social service providers, including occupational therapists share similar goals of supporting immigrant participation and promoting justice. Responding to the World Federation of Occupational Therapists' call to end occupational injustice and support participation (World Federation of Occupational Therapists, 2006), we recommend occupational therapists increasingly collaborate with non-profit organizations and advocate alongside community service providers working with immigrant clients to address relevant 'social questions' shaping social participation and occupational engagement (Munguba et al, 2018).…”

Feminismo decolonial e terapia ocupacional: relato de experiência de um estágio curricular no contexto da pandemia

“…Referenciar-se pelas terapias ocupacionais do sul exige legitimar o plural e reconhecer a diversidade de epistemes, sobretudo aquelas apagadas pelo discurso das ausências (Tolvett, 2016). Um passo importante nesse sentido é a superação do campo da saúde como único campo de conhecimento e prática (Barros et al, 2002;Munguba et al, 2018;Núñez, 2019). Isso implica enxergar as ocupações/atividades humanas a partir de outras categorias, como justiça, dignidade, reconhecimento, proteção social, opressão, luta, estética, liberdade, entre outras.…”

Aproximaciones a la práctica de Terapia Ocupacional en salud pública: una revisión temática

“…Entre tanto, Munguba et al (2018) hacen un llamado a ir más allá de las intervenciones tradicionales en salud e impulsar la innovación y la investigación para hacer contribuciones teóricas y metodológicas al trabajo de la Terapia Ocupacional en otros sectores, y así lograr una mayor participación social en la sociedad capitalista y globalizada actual. En últimas, las y los terapeutas ocupacionales deben abordar la cuestión social, esto significa identificar desigualdades y desarrollar intervenciones que no se limiten a la mejora individual, sino a las condiciones colectivas de salud.…”