BACKGROUND: People with late effects of polio (LEoP) may need rehabilitation to manage everyday life but knowledge of the benefits of interdisciplinary rehabilitation is limited. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate changes in performance and satisfaction with performance of activities among people with LEoP following interdisciplinary rehabilitation. METHODS: A pre-post retrospective study based on data on 102 participants with LEoP from a rehabilitation clinic. Changes in performance and satisfaction with performance of daily activities before and after interdisciplinary rehabilitation were assessed with the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). RESULTS: There were statistically significant increases in the mean performance and mean satisfaction with performance COPM scores from admission to discharge. Twenty-three percent and 19% of the participants, respectively, had improved their performance and satisfaction with performance, 25% and 26% of the participants had no changes, and 19% and 22% of the participants, respectively, rated their performance and satisfaction lower at discharge compared to admission. CONCLUSION: Interdisciplinary rehabilitation can enhance self-rated performance and satisfaction with performance of daily activities among people with LEoP. Future studies of rehabilitation for people with LEoP should use a prospective design and capture the participants’ process of change related to their rehabilitation period. © 2024 – The authors. Published by IOS Press.

This article elucidates Somali women's experiences of cooking and meals after immigration to Sweden. Six Somali women participated in repeated focus group interviews. Content analysis of the interviews resulted in four themes: change in routines and content of the daily meals, changed experiences related to cooking and shopping for groceries, the social dimensions in food-related occupations, and change of identity and roles. According to the women, variety of factors related to their life in Sweden had led to changes in their food occupations and meals: environmental changes, societal factors and the fact that the women secured employment. Although their new focus on employment led to altered responsibility and time for the cooking, foodrelated occupations remained important for the creation of identity and the maintenance of the family. This study may inform the development of strategies to restrict the negative impacts of immigration on Somali women's health. Future research will increase understandings of the relationships between food-related occupations and women's roles, identity and health. © 2013 The Journal of Occupational Science Incorporated.

Background: For mothers with diabetes, breastfeeding is a great challenge due to their struggle with potentially unstable blood glucose levels. This paper explores breastfeeding attitudes and impact of breastfeeding on the daily life of mothers with type 1 diabetes compared with non-diabetic mothers.Methods: We performed a prospective cohort study of 108 mothers with type 1 diabetes and a reference group of 104 mothers in the west of Sweden. Data were collected through medical records and structured telephone interviews at 2 and 6 months after childbirth.Results: Women in both the diabetes group and the reference group had high levels of confidence (84% and 93% respectively) in their breastfeeding capacity before childbirth, and 90% assessed breastfeeding as a positive and an important experience during the six months of follow-up. About 80% assessed breastfeeding as influencing daily life 'very much' or 'quite a lot' at 2 months as did 60% at 6 months, with no difference between the groups. In mothers with diabetes, the impact of breastfeeding on the priority of other duties decreased over time, as did feelings of time pressure and negative effects on patterns of sleep. Compared to the reference group, mothers with diabetes at 6 months remained more affected by disruptions in daily life and they felt more worried about their health both at 2 and 6 months after childbirth. For the reference group mothers' sensitivity to unexpected disruptions in daily routines decreased between 2 and 6 months after childbirth, and they expressed a greater need to organize their time than mothers with diabetes.Conclusion: Mothers with diabetes type 1 express more worry for own health and are more sensitive to distruptions. To balance their everyday life and to reduce the risk of stress and illhealth they are therefor, compared to other mothers, likely to need additional professional and peer support. © 2012 Berg et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

The aim was to investigate how patients in a clinical setting, combining acute stroke care and rehabilitation, perceived the value and meaning attached to a commonly used instrumental occupation, namely "Brewing coffee and making an open-face cheese sandwich with sliced vegetable". Another aim was to validate the ValMO model, proposing that value and meaning are related phenomena. Upon performing the occupation, 38 participants answered questionnaires concerning perceived meaning and occupational value. The results showed that the occupation was highly valued by the participants and that it was perceived as meaningful. No age or gender differences were found. The findings confirmed the proposed link between value and meaning. In conclusion, a commonly used and supposedly meaningful occupation was indeed found to be valued and meaningful by the patients and the findings validated the targeted aspects of the ValMO model. This study was unique in its focus on value and meaning in a clinical context. Futures studies should clarify if the link between meaningful occupation and well-being, which has been shown in many studies of everyday situations and is another of the assumptions in the ValMO model, can be proved in clinical contexts as well. © 2010 Informa UK Ltd.

The aim of this study was to identify characteristics of temporal patterns of daily occupations that could be related to high and low subjective health among older adults in Northern Sweden. A cross-sectional design imprinted by time-geographic methodology was used and participants 70 years and older were purposively selected and divided into groups of high and low health using the SoC-29 and SF-36 questionnaires. Daily occupations data were registered and analysed using VISUAL Time-PAcTS and related to health conditions using SPSS. The results showed that the participants in the high- and low-health groups showed similar patterns of participation in occupations during the 24-hour sequences describing their daily routines. Some differences in patterns of frequency and duration of occupations were shown between health groups during the 24-hour sequences as well as within six intervals. The low-health group showed higher frequencies and longer durations for “care for oneself” and “reflection and recreation” occupations and lower for “house-keeping” and “procure and prepare food” occupations compared to the high-health groups. There were few significant differences between the high- and low-health groups' mean durations for occupations. The results of this study could contribute to the support and assistance of occupations of older adults in society. © 2014 The Journal of Occupational Science Incorporated.

OBJECTIVE: The outcomes, in terms of quality of life and satisfaction with rehabilitation, of the 16-week Redesigning Daily Occupations (ReDO) programme as a work rehabilitation method for women with stress-related disorders was evaluated. It was hypothesised that, compared to women who got Care as Usual (CAU), the ReDO group would improve their quality of life and self-mastery more, and that those differences would prevail at follow-ups after 6 and 12 months. Another hypothesis was that the ReDO group would be more satisfied than the CAU group with the rehabilitation received. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-two women were recruited to the ReDO intervention and a matched comparison group got CAU. METHODS: The data consisted of self-ratings of quality of life, self-mastery and satisfaction with the work rehabilitation received. RESULTS: The first hypothesis was only partially verified. No general group differences were identified, but closer examination indicated different trajectories in the two groups. There was an increase in quality of life in the ReDO group from baseline to completion of the work rehabilitation, and further increase at the six-month follow-up, while the quality of life in the CAU group was stable over time. Regarding self-mastery there was an increase from baseline to completed rehabilitation in the ReDO group but a pronounced decrease in the CAU group. Thereafter the group differences levelled out. The second hypothesis was verified. The ratings of client satisfaction were considerably higher in the ReDO group. CONCLUSION: The ReDO seems a promising work rehabilitation method for strengthening quality of life and self-mastery for the target group. Future research should include larger groups and be based on randomised controlled designs. © 2013 - IOS Press and the authors.

There is a scarcity of rehabilitation methods for people with stress-related disorders that are effective in terms of return to work and reducing sick leave. This chapter describes the Redesigning Daily Occupations (ReDO^TM) program for women with stress-related disorders, the development, its main principles, and primary and secondary outcomes. The ReDO^TM program, which addresses people’s whole repertoire of everyday occupations, was effective in the primary healthcare context, compared to traditional rehabilitation provided by the Social Insurance Offices. Further research is needed, however, to establish a firm evidence base for the ReDO^TM intervention. © Springer Internatinal Publishing Switzerland 2015.

Aims: The aim was to (i) assess the outcomes of the 16-week Redesigning Daily Occupations (ReDO) programme for women on sick leave due to stress-related disorders, in terms of occupational value, satisfaction with everyday occupations, and participation level; (ii) investigate the relationships between those outcomes and return-to-work rate. Methods: A total of 42 women receiving ReDO and 42 receiving care as usual (CAU) were included in a matched-control study with measurements before and after the rehabilitation. Seventy-eight participated on both occasions. They completed self-report questionnaires regarding the aforementioned outcomes. Return-to-work data were obtained from the registers of the Social Insurance Offices. Results: Increases in concrete, symbolic, and self-reward values were found in both groups, but no statistically significant difference between the groups was demonstrated. The ReDO group improved more than the CAU group, however, on satisfaction with everyday occupations and participation level. Occupational value, but not satisfaction with everyday occupations, was related to return to work. Conclusions: Everyday occupations were shown to be relevant outcomes after work rehabilitation and could play an important role in future development of profession-specific evidence of occupational therapy. Further support was obtained for viewing occupational value and satisfaction with everyday occupations as theoretically distinct phenomena. © 2014 Informa Healthcare.

Background: Mastery refers to the degree to which people perceive that they can control factors that influence their life situation, and has been found important for people's quality of life and well-being. It is thus essential to be able to measure mastery in a valid and reliable way. Aim: This study aimed at using the Rasch measurement model to investigate the psychometric properties of a Swedish version of the Pearlin Mastery Scale (Mastery-S). Methods: A sample of 300 healthy individuals and 278 persons with mental illness responded to the Mastery-S. Item responses were Rasch analysed regarding model fit, response category functioning, differential item functioning (DIF) and targeting, using the partial credit model. Results: The Mastery-S items represented a logical continuum of the measured construct but one item displayed misfit. Reliability (Person Separation Index) was 0.7. The response categories did not work as expected in three items, which could be corrected for by collapsing categories. Three items displayed DIF between the two subsamples, which caused a bias when comparing mastery levels between subsamples, suggesting the Mastery-S is not truly generic. Conclusions: The Mastery-S may be used to obtain valid and reliable data, but some precautions should be made. If used to compare groups, new analyses of DIF should first be made. Users of the scale should also consider exempting item 6 from the scale and analyse it as a separate item. Finally, rewording of response categories should be considered in order to make them more distinct and thereby improve score reliability.

This study investigated how temporal occupational patterns, operationalized as time use and daily rhythm, are related to occupational balance, in terms of the value and satisfaction that people with persistent mental illness derive from daily occupations. The respondents, 103 individuals visiting an outpatient psychosis unit, completed a time-use diary and questionnaires targeting occupational value and satisfaction. Spending more total time in non-rest occupations (TTNR), in the categories of self-care/maintenance, work/education and play/leisure, was related to perceiving more concrete value, such as making something or learning new things. TTNR was also related to symbolic and self-reward value and to having satisfying daily occupations. A subgroup with a daily rhythm that meant being active during the day and sleeping at night time perceived more symbolic value and greater satisfaction with their daily occupations than another characterized by low activity during the day and having turned the clock around by mostly sleeping and resting during the day. Temporal occupational patterns seemed important for perceived occupational value and satisfaction with daily occupations, seen as facets of occupational balance, and a spiral type of relationship was assumed. © 2010 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Purpose. The study compared the perceived value of occupation among a sample of individuals with long-term mental illness to a sample of people not diagnosed with mental illness. As well, it investigated whether diagnostic and demographic factors were related to perceived occupational value among the individuals with mental illness. Finally, the study examined the relationship between occupational value and ratings of health and well-being. Method. One hundred and three individuals with mental illness and 28 healthy individuals were recruited for the study. Results. Overall occupational value among the individuals diagnosed with mental illness differed only marginally from the healthy group, indicating that perceived occupational value was by and large not related to mental illness. Among the individuals with mental illness, having children living at home was related to occupational value. There were moderate to strong associations between occupational value and measures of health and well-being. Practice Implications. This study provides important insights into occupational value among individuals with persistent mental health problems and provides some preliminary evidence in support of the Value, Meaning and Occupation Model. © CAOT PUBLICATIONS ACE

This study investigated psychometric properties of an instrument for assessing perceived occupational value, the 26-item OVal-pd. Data from 225 Swedish subjects with and without known mental illness were analysed regarding fit to the Rasch measurement model (partial credit model), differential item functioning (DIF), and functioning of the OVal-pd four-category response scale. The reliability (index of person separation, analogous to Cronbach's alpha) was good (0.92) but there were signs of overall and item level (six items) misfit. There was DIF between people with and without mental illness for three items. Iterative deletion of misfitting items resulted in a new 18-item DIF-free scale with good overall and individual item fit and maintained reliability (0.91). There were no disordered response category thresholds. These observations also held true in separate analyses among people with and without mental illness. Thus, the first steps of ensuring that occupational value can be measured in a valid and reliable way have been taken. Still, occupational value is a dynamic construct and the aspects that fit the construct may vary between contexts. This has implications for, e.g., cross-cultural research and calls for identification of a core set of culture-free items to allow for valid cross-cultural comparisons. Copyright © 2009 Informa UK Limited

The working relationship between client and therapist can be important to enhance outcomes from vocational rehabilitation for women with stress-related disorders in primary health care. The aim was to investigate the working relationship, as perceived by clients and therapists in the Redesigning Daily Occupations (ReDO™) program, and its relationships to return to work and satisfaction with the rehabilitation. Another aim was to compare the ReDO™ group and a "care-as-usual" (CAU) group regarding perceptions of the working relationship with the social insurance officer. © 2015 Eklund et al.; licensee BioMed Central.

Patterns of daily occupations (PDO) and occupational balance (OB) are recurring phenomena in the literature. Both are related with health and well-being, which makes them central in occupational therapy practice and occupational science. The aim was to review how PDO and OB are described in the literature, to propose a view of how the two constructs may be linked, and elaborate on how such a view may benefit occupational science and occupational therapy. The literature was analysed by latent and manifest content analysis and comparative analysis. The findings were summarized in a model, framing PDO as the more objective and OB as the more subjective result from an interaction between personal preferences and environmental influences. The proposed model does not assume a cause–effect relationship between the targeted constructs, rather a mutual influence and a joint reaction to influencing factors. Indicators of PDO and OB were identified, as well as tools for assessing PDO and OB. The authors propose that discerning PDO and OB as separate but interacting phenomena may be useful in developing a theoretical discourse in occupational science and enhancing occupational therapy practice. Although the scope of this study was limited, the proposed view may hopefully inspire further scrutiny of constructs. © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Previous research has shown that the Redesigning Daily Occupations programme reduced the degree of sick leave and increased return to work rates among women on sick leave for stress-related disorders when compared with "care as usual". To further investigate the Redesigning Daily Occupations intervention, this study explored changes in the work situation from baseline to a 12-month follow-up in the Redesigning Daily Occupations group compared with the "care as usual" group and analysed any predictors of change. © 2012 Australian Occupational Therapy Journal.

Psykisk sjukdom och stress anges ofta som orsak till längre sjukskrivning och drabbar kvinnor till övervägande del. Majoriteten av Sveriges kvinnor är idag yrkesarbetande, de tar större ansvar för hem och familj, de arbetar oftare deltid, tar oftare ut ledighet för vård av sjuka barn och utför 65 % mer hemarbete än männen. Att kombinera arbetsliv med omsorg om familjen blir en daglig utmaning och många aktiviteter som ofta utförs samtidigt ger en komplex vardag.

Inom arbetsterapi anses en balans i vardagens aktiviteter vara en förutsättning för hälsa. Antagandet bygger främst på kliniska erfarenheter och det finns därför ett stort behov av forskning som undersöker dessa samband. De aktuella avhandlingsarbetet kring kvinnors vardag och hälsa är en del i ett forskningsprogram på avd. för arbetsterapi, kring samband mellan aktivitet och hälsa.

Målet med avhandlingsarbetet var att nå fördjupad förståelse för hur kvinnors hälsa påverkas av deras vardagliga aktiviteter, inkluderande inte bara yrkesarbete, utan även hushållsarbete, omsorg om barn och fritidsaktiviteter.

Den första studien i avhandlingen innebar att så detaljerat som möjligt beskriva flödet av de dagliga aktiviteterna, ett så kallat aktivitetsmönster. Med hjälp av flera olika metoder identifierades tre olika typer av aktiviteter vilka utgör komponenterna i ett aktivitetsmönster. Huvudaktiviteter såsom att arbeta eller laga middag, dominerar mönstret medan dolda aktiviteter, såsom t.ex. att ta in post, eller sortera tvätt, passerar obemärkta. Oförutsedda aktiviteter förändrar flödet i mönstret och innebär alltid ett avbrott, en störning, såsom ett oväntat besök eller barn som bråkar.

Hur påverkas upplevelsen av hälsa av dynamiken mellan huvudaktiviteter, dolda- och oförutsedda aktiviteter? Innebär förekomsten av många oförutsedda aktiviteter en ökad risk för ohälsa? För att få svar på dessa frågor intervjuades av 100 friska, gifta, kvinnor i åldern 25 och 44 år, yrkesarbetande och som hade minst ett barn i åldern 3-6 år. Kvinnorna fick bl. a. ange och värdera sådant som de stördes respektive stimulerades av i vardagen och besvara frågor om hälsa och livskvalitet. Dessutom upprättades en dagbok för varje kvinna i vilken de beskrev vad de gjorde, från morgon till kväll, dagen innan intervjun. Materialet från intervjuerna bearbetades och presenteras som fyra ytterliggare delarbeten i avhandlingen.

Flera av resultaten visar på vardagsaktiviteternas betydelse för upplevelsen av hälsa. Att uppleva många och starka störningar och avbrott i vardagen i kombination med en upplevelse av bristande kontroll innebar en ökad risk för upplevelse av såväl ohälsa som lägre livskvalitet. Det viktigaste resultatet var att störningar genererades i lika stor utsträckning i hushållet som på arbetet vilket belyser betydelse av att inte ensidigt beakta arbetssituationen i samband med stress, ohälsa och sjukskrivningar.

Intervjuerna med de 100 kvinnorna visade samtidigt att en mångfald av aktiviteter i vardagen inte bara är negativt. Stimmulans och uppmuntran i vardagen upplevdes oftast i utförandet av olika aktiviteter. Alla typer av aktiviteter gav positiva upplevelser; att arbeta, att rida, att städa och laga mat eller att ta ett bad. Ett motsägelsefullt resultat då flera av dessa aktiviteter också angavs som källor till irritation. Slutsatsen blev att det är viktigt att sträva efter möjligheten att utför aktiviteter i sin helhet, utan avbrott och att en vardag dominerad av ständiga avbrott kan utgöra en ökad risk för ohälsa.

Kvinnornas dagböcker analyserades därför med fokus på aktivitetsmönsternas komplexitet och dynamiken mellan huvudaktiviteter, dolda aktiviteter och oförutsedda aktiviteter. Mönstren jämföres för att finna likheter och bestämma skillnader i komplexitet. Bland de 100 exemplen på vardagsmönster identifierades tre grupper av typiska mönster, låg-, medel- och högkomplexa. De högkomplexa vardagsmönstren innehöll i motsats till de lågkomplexa, korta intervall i aktiviteterna, många avbrott även under natten. Få samband mellan hälsa och grad av komplexitet i aktivitetsmönstret kunde uppvisas men de kvinnor vars vardag klassades som högkomplex angav lägre upplevelse av hälsa än de med lågkomplex vardag.

Studierna har ökat förståelsen för sambanden mellan aktivitetsmönster och upplevelsen av hälsa. En kunskap som kan bidra till utvecklandet av nya och förbättrade strategier för arbetsteraputisk behandling av stressrelaterade symtom, främst för kvinnor men på sikt även för män. Slutligen har viktig metodutveckling skett inom ramen för avhandlingsarbetet. Dessa metoder förbättrar möjligheten att kartlägga och bedöma hela vardagssituationen och inte vilket fortfarande är vanligast, en ensidig fokusering på lönearbetets betydelse för hälsan.

The recognition of daily occupations is important for promoting health. All the same, the everyday is often taken for granted, even if daily occupations that are hindered or lost may constitute a risk for developing ill-health. Risk factors might include occupational imbalance or occupational alienation.

In this paper, the Redesigning Daily Occupations (ReDO) programme, an occupational therapy group intervention aimed at providing knowledge about daily occupations and their impact on health, is presented as an example of an educative approach within the profession. In the ReDO-programme, occupational therapists act as coaches to support learning about occupation. The group leaders use specific tools to facilitate self-occupation-analysis among participants. Understanding the influence of occupation may enable sustainable changes in the everyday and patterns of daily occupations that promote health. © Informa UK Limited 

I would like to thank the New Zealand Association of Occupational Therapists and the Scientific Programme Committee for inviting me to present at this conference. It is an honour. The theme of this conference is Fresh Perspectives and I will present three perspectives on maybe the most central phenomenon for occupational therapists; namely daily occupations. My point of departure is my part of the world, a Scandinavian and Swedish approach to occupational therapy practice, occupational therapy research, and education. I present a view of the complexity of human occupation, from a time and doing perspective. The focus is how understandings of the organisation and structure of occupations can be used to enhance health. I will address an occupation focused intervention for women with stress-related illness, and where the knowledge can be used to enable participants to make self-directed changes in their daily occupations.

Hassles and uplifts, a concept used in measuring daily stress events, was applied to working mothers' everyday life. The aim was to explore the stability in working mothers' experiences in patterns of daily occupations, operationalized as hassles and uplifts, between the year 2000 (baseline) and the year 2005 (follow-up). Further, the intention was to reveal possible differences in the number, origins, and ratings of hassles or uplifts between baseline and follow-up. The baseline study comprised 100 women, of whom 77 agreed to participate in the follow-up study. At baseline the questionnaire THU-5 was applied in the form of an interview, and at follow-up it was adapted to a self-response questionnaire sent home to the respondents. Stability was explored qualitatively by investigating the reported causes of hassles and uplifts, and quantitatively by comparing the numbers and ratings of the experiences at baseline and at follow-up. The results indicate a certain amount of stability, although the cause of the experiences changes in line with changes in life stage. It was concluded that the methodology used (THU-5 and THU-3) was sensitive to these changes and could be applied in clinical settings, providing occupational therapists with a tool for detecting daily hassles that could be dealt with. Likewise, detected uplifts can be useful in the process of re-clesigning patterns of daily occupations affected by stress. Copyright © 2019 Informa UK Limited.

This article presents the structure and content of an occupational therapy group treatment program intended to enable lifestyle changes for return to work, used with women who have stress-related disorders. The Redesigning Daily Occupations-program constitutes three phases. Phase I focuses on occupational self-analysis. Phase II focuses on setting goals and strategies for change, and Phase III is a job placement program that provides opportunities to implement the strategies when work is restarted. The program may be of use for the target group and additional populations where people experience difficulties in organizing their daily occupations. The program outcome should be evaluated. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Daily occupations form a pattern dominated by a few main occupations intertwined with hidden occupations. A third category is denoted unexpected occupations or minor events that interrupt the rhythm of main and hidden occupations. The phenomenon of unexpected occupations can be interpreted as an illustration of interruptions in daily life or daily minor stressors. The study aimed to investigate women's perceived frequency of such disturbing interruptions, and possible relationships with their self-rated health and satisfaction with life as a whole. The study included 202 women aged 38 years, and 286 women aged 50 years who replied to a mailed questionnaire. The results showed that perceived high frequency of interruptions was related to poor subjective health among the younger women, and to low satisfaction with life as a whole in both age groups. Furthermore, the younger women perceived disturbing interruptions more frequently than the older ones, and among the younger women those who had children living at home and lived with a partner experienced disturbing interruptions more frequently than those without children living at home or those living single. The results should be interpreted with caution because the measurement of perceived interruptions has not yet been subjected to psychometric evaluation. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Objective: The aim was to explore aspects of everyday life in addition to established risk factors and their relationship to subjective health and well-being among public sector employees in Sweden. Gainful employment impact on employees' health and well-being, but work is only one part of everyday life and a broader perspective is essential in order to identify health-related factors.

Participants: Data were obtained from employees at six Social Insurance Offices in Sweden, 250 women and 50 men.

Method: A questionnaire based on established instruments and questions specifically designed for this study was used. Relationships between five factors of everyday life, subjective health and well-being were investigated by means of multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results: The final model revealed a limited importance of certain work-related factors. A general satisfaction with everyday activities, a stress-free environment and general control in addition to not having monotonous movements at work were found to be factors explaining 46.3% of subjective good health and well-being.

Conclusions: A person's entire activity pattern, including work, is important, and strategies for promoting health should take into account the person's situation as a whole. The interplay between risk and health factors is not clear and further research is warranted. © 2012 - IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved.

The importance of patterns of daily occupations to health has been emphasised ever since occupational therapy was founded, but little is known about this relationship. The aim of this study was to describe in detail one woman’s pattern of daily occupations as an initial step in developing strategies for further studies of patterns of daily occupations. Four different methods were used, one on each of four days. Three types of occupations were discerned; main occupations, hidden occupations, and unexpected occupations, which intertwined and formed an occupational pattern. The occupations were, in turn, composed of actions. Using the diary method gave an overall picture of main occupations during a whole day. Direct observation and video-recorded observation added additional information about the actions that were the building blocks of the occupations, as well as about hidden and unexpected occupations. The fourth method, a variant of the experience sampling method, gave deeper knowledge about the informant’s reflections when performing an occupation. It was assumed that a detailed description of patterns of occupation is needed to understand its relationship to health. Therefore, if the diary method is used, it has to be combined with a subsequent interview. Direct observation was the single method that best captured the complexity of the pattern of daily occupations as captured in this study. Copyright © 2001 Informa UK Limited.

The study builds on a previous study of the everyday occupations of 100 women who worked at home and in the paid workforce. Their pattern of daily occupations was depicted using time-occupation graphs inspired by the time geography method, whereby the women’s pattern of occupations were categorised and clustered according to complexity. For each woman, the level of complexity was operationalised as the frequency of shifting between three categories of occupation (main, hidden, and unexpected) and sleep, along with the frequency of unexpected occupations and whether shifts in type of occupation were concentrated in limited parts of the day, e.g., the mornings. The study had two aims. First, to test the hypothesis that among women who work at home and in the paid workforce, those with low-complex patterns of daily occupations would rate their health and well-being higher than women having medium-complex patterns. As well, those with medium-complex patterns would rate their health and well-being better than women with highcomplex patterns. Secondly, the study aimed to investigate differences among these subgroups in relation to sociodemographic factors. The hypothesis was partly confirmed. Increasing complexity was associated with lower levels of self-rated health, but not with lower levels of sense of coherence and well-being. With respect to sociodemographic factors, the women in the three subgroups differed in terms of level of education. The results tentatively confirm theoretical assumptions of a link between patterns of daily occupations and experiences of health, and provide an incentive for further research on this relationship. © 2006, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Stress-related disorders are a frequent cause for sick leave, with consequences such as great distress and adverse economic effects for the affected person and substantial costs for society. Identifying effective interventions that facilitate return to work is thus important. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the 16-week Redesigning Daily Occupations program as a work rehabilitation method for Swedish women with stress-related disorders. The authors of this study hypothesized that, compared to women who got Care as Usual, 12 months after completed rehabilitation a larger proportion of the Redesigning Daily Occupations women would have returned to work, and they would have less sick leave, perceive less stress, and have greater self-esteem. Forty-two women entered the Redesigning Daily Occupations intervention and a matched comparison group received Care as Usual. The data, collected between 2007 and 2010, consisted of registry information and questionnaires targeting socio-demographics, perceived stress, and self-esteem. The findings partly verified the hypotheses. A larger proportion of the Redesigning Daily Occupations women returned to work and they decreased their sick leave and increased their self-esteem more than the Care as Usual group, but the groups did not differ in stress reduction. Thus, the Redesigning Daily Occupations seems to be a promising work rehabilitation method for women with stress-related disorders. © 2011 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Swedish women are more ill than men are, often explained by women's heavier total workload. A balanced pattern of daily occupations is believed to promote health. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of aspects of the pattern of daily occupations and lifestyle factors to working mothers' health and well-being, and whether control influenced any relationships. One hundred working, cohabiting mothers took part in semi-structured interviews targeting health and well-being, control, lifestyle variables, and hassles and uplifts in the pattern of daily occupations. All variables were dichotomised according to a median cut and subjected to logistic regression analyses. Working more and having a university diploma were found to be risk factors for experiencing more hassles. Risk factors for fewer uplifts were having more than two children and fewer leisure occupations. Experiencing less control constituted a risk of low self-rated health and with an additional high level of hassles impacted on the experience of well-being. © 2003 The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

The aim of this study was to investigate experiences of hassles and uplifts among women. One hundred working mothers were interviewed using the Target Complaints instrument. Content analysis, resulting in both qualitative categories and quantitative variables, was used. Working mothers' hassles were mainly generated by their social, temporal and doing contexts and illustrate the importance of considering women's total patterns of everyday occupations and not focusing one-sidedly on the work situation when treating occupation-related ill-health. Women's uplifts were experienced through the social context and by doing such different occupations as going to the movies, cleaning the house, or attending a class. This indicates the appropriateness of using a client-centred approach in interventions with openness to the client's unique situation. Unexpected occupations were identified almost exclusively among the hassles. This is important knowledge for occupational therapists since women will continue to be dual workers and at potential risk of developing unbalanced and detrimental patterns of occupations, in turn causing ill health. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

This study investigates the theoretical assumption of the Value and Meaning in Occupations model. The aim was to explore the relationship between occupational value, perceived meaning, and subjective health in a sample of individuals of working age, 50 men and 250 women. Frequency of experienced values in occupations was assessed through the Occupational Value instrument with pre-defined items. Perceived meaning was operationalized and assessed by the Sense of Coherence measure. Subjective health was estimated by two questions from the SF-36 questionnaire. The analyses implied descriptive analyses, correlations, and logistic regression analyses in which sociodemographic variables were included. The findings showed highly significant relationships between occupational value and perceived meaning and when belonging to the high group of occupational value the likelihood was tripled of belonging to the high group of perceived meaning. When married or cohabitating there was double the likelihood of belonging to the high group of perceived meaning. Although perceived meaning was found to be positively associated with subjective health, working full time was the most important factor in explaining subjective health, compared with working less than full time. The results confirm assumptions in the ValMO-model, and the importance of focusing on occupational value in clinical practice is highlighted. © 2011 Informa Healthcare.

I ett palliativt sammanhang, nära livets slut, utmanas och hotas den trygga vardagen. Det blir särskilt viktigt att bevara och trygga delar av vardagen, både för den som ska lämna och för dem som stannar kvar. Med avstamp i vardagen, den vanliga lunken och vanorna, synliggör författarna arbetsterapiprofessionens ansvarsområde i den palliativa vården. Författarna använder genomgående ValMO-modellens begrepp och teoretiska resonemang för att beskriva människors vardag och görande, och samband med hälsa och livskvalitet i livets slutskede. Varje avsnitt illustreras med fallbeskrivningar för att synliggöra situationer som arbetsterapeuten kan möta. Fallbeskrivningar används också för att beskriva arbetsterapeutens ansvar, åtgärder och roll i teamet. Arbetsterapi inom palliativ vård är skriven för arbetsterapeuter och arbetsterapistudenter som arbetar eller kommer att arbeta med palliativ vård.

It has been proposed that it should be possible to identify patterns if daily occupations that promote health or cause illness. This study aimed to develop and to evaluate a process for analysing and characterising subjectively perceived patterns of daily occupations, by describing patterns as consisting if main, hidden, and unexpected occupations. Yesterday diaries describing one day if 100 working married mothers were collected through interviews. The diaries were transformed into time-and-occupation graphs. An analysis based on visual interpretation of the patterns was performed. The graphs were grouped into the categories low, medium, or high complexity. In order to identify similarities the graphs were then compared both pair-wise and group-wise. Finally, the complexity and similarities perspectives were integrated, identifying the most typical patterns of daily occupations representing low, medium, and high complexity. Visual differences in complexity were evident. In order to validate the Recognition of Similarities (ROS) process developed, a measure expressing the probability if change was computed. This probability was found to differ statistically significantly between the three groups, supporting the validity of the ROS process. © 2004, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of a complex healthcare intervention should include careful exploration of the mechanisms through which it brings about change. This paper describes a qualitative evaluation of the Redesigning Daily Occupations (ReDO^®-10) programme as it was implemented for the first time with women with stress-related issues in a primary care setting in Ireland. The ReDO^®-10 is a 10-week group intervention designed to support participants make changes to their daily activity patterns to have a more satisfying and balanced daily life. Fourteen women were interviewed after completing the programme. The aim was to explore changes that participants perceived they experienced and to understand how the content of ReDO®-10 was thought to bring about this change (if it did). Directed content analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data using the Behaviour Change Wheel and Theoretical Domains Framework as a coding framework. Overall, four BCW functions of ReDO^® -10 were identified: Education, Persuasion, Modelling and Enablement. Participants described improved belief in their own capabilities, knowledge and goals around life changes. Many behaviour changes were also described, particularly in relation to doing more restorative activities in daily life. Behaviour change techniques that were identified as important for change were practicing new, restorative occupations in group sessions and as homework and the use of self-analysis activities to understand the relationship between activities and health for these participants. Modelling, support and other effects of group dynamics were also vital in changes that occurred. © 2022 The Authors

Background: Despite high demand, mental health services in primary care in Ireland are underdeveloped. People with mild/moderate anxiety, depression and unspecified psychological distress are frequently seen in primary care settings, mostly by general practitioners (GPs). Occupational therapists have the potential to contribute to service-provision with interventions specially designed for the targeted group e.g. the Redesigning Daily Occupations programme (ReDO-10).Aims/objectivesThis study aimed to explore the feasibility of a future RCT of the ReDO-10 programme in Ireland and the contextual factors that would influence future implementation.

Material and methods: Using a multi-phase, mixed-method design, qualitative and quantitative data were gathered from key stakeholders: ReDO-10 participants (n = 10), GPs (n = 9) and occupational therapists (n = 2). Acceptability, satisfaction, cultural fit and demand were explored, as well as methodological issues such as appropriateness of recruitment methods, outcome measures and randomization.

Results: ReDO-10 was acceptable to participants who reported improvements in their occupational patterns and valued the group-based format. GPs and occupational therapists welcomed the intervention, but acknowledged the limitations of time and resources in the Irish primary care context.

Conclusions: ReDO-10 is feasible to explore in a future RCT in Ireland and this study provides important context for future implementation and/or research. © 2021 Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy Foundation.

Anxiety and stress-related disorders are highly prevalent and impede participation in life activities. Occupational therapists work extensively with people diagnosed with these disorders but the effectiveness of their interventions is unclear. A systematic search strategy identified 19 papers describing 13 studies. Studies varied in methodology, intervention type, and theory base. The results show the potential for lifestyle approaches, occupational science-based programs, and skill-building to improve mental health. The variety of interventions and methodologies of many studies means that the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions for this population is not yet determined. High-quality research is required to replicate interventions with emerging potential for effectiveness.

Background: This article is based on a common understanding of the concept of creative activities as intervention, as described in occupational therapy literature. Historically, creative activities have been used as intervention in occupational therapy. There is, however, a lack of clarity in descriptions of the concept. Aims/Objectives: To investigate and clarify the concept of creative activities as intervention (CaI) and to validate the findings in occupational therapy practice. Material and methods: A selection of articles according to PRISMA resulted in 15 articles, analysed with concept analysis. The results were validated by a reference panel of seven occupational therapists using a questionnaire and data was analysed by descriptive statistics. Results: Five attributes defined CaI: (1) Often consisting of elements of art and craft using mind and body, (2) Being experienced as meaningful, (3) Creating creative processes, (4) Developing skills, enhancing occupational performance and managing everyday life, and (5) Being easy to modify individually or in groups with different approaches. Three cases were generated from the attributes to illustrate the integrity of the analysis. Conclusions and significance: The results led to a description of CaI that could facilitate future research communication and common definition in occupational therapy practice. © 2020, © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Everything a person does generates a unique experience of occupational value, and occupational values can in turn generate meaning in life. Doing creative activities positively influences subjective health and well-being. This article provides information about how and to what extent people diagnosed with mental illness experienced occupational value when participating in an intervention with creative activities. Thirty-three participants provided data within a mixed-methods design. Data were analyzed by quantitative non-parametric statistical methods and qualitative directed content analysis. Interventions with creative activities enable a high degree of experienced occupation value and are associated with all dimensions in the occupational value triad. © 2022 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

This paper reports preliminary efforts to canvas occupational therapists' opinions on occupational science research priorities. Findings, while not generalizable, suggest that occupational therapists are seeking to better understand how to influence the health of children and those with chronic conditions, as well as to have knowledge that underpins their practice in the use of occupation. Occupational science can support occupational therapy practitioners to meet future changes in the scope of occupational therapy practice. The initiative reported here is a small beginning in ensuring that occupational science fulfils its promise to inform the occupational therapy profession.

A balance between different experiences of occupations in everyday life is important for well-being. The study aim was to describe hassles and uplifts in everyday occupations among women on long-term sick-leave due to stress-related disorders. The sample consisted of 77 women and experiences were collected by the THU-5 instrument. The statements were analysed using quantitative content analysis. Data were categorized into three domains of hassles concerning oneself, doings, and social and physical context. The same domains occurred among the uplifts. Hassles were mostly generated by disturbing people around the women and by their limited body functions. The women were uplifted by supportive social relationships and by performing relaxing and calming occupations. The study illuminates the strong need for social support among women on sick-leave, as well as their low level of energy, which was an obvious obstacle for performing occupations. It is suggested that, in order to increase well-being in the target group, the occupational therapist should meet their need for occupations that match their current level of energy. The challenge for the client is to avoid remaining in a pattern of low-demand occupations without exceeding her/his capacity and returning to an unhealthy pattern of occupations. © 2012 Informa Healthcare.

BACKGROUND: Sick leave due to stress-related ill-health is increasing and is often caused by occupational imbalance. These types of issues tend to affect both the ability to work and cope with everyday life, as well as the overall experience of health, negatively. There is still little knowledge on how to prepare people and workplaces for the return-to-work process after participation in a work rehabilitation program due to stress and occupational ill-health. Therefore, this study aimed to describe what is needed to achieve a balanced everyday life that includes paid work as experienced by individuals who had participated in a ReDO® intervention due to occupational imbalance and ill-health. METHODS: The concluding notes from 54 informants' medical records were used for qualitative content analysis. The informants had participated in an occupational therapy group intervention to promote occupational health and regain full work capacity. RESULTS: The analysis resulted in one major theme and four categories describing how the informants perceive that they must take control of their everyday life as a whole. By doing so, they need to work with structurization and prioritization, social interaction, boundary setting, and occupational meaningfulness. CONCLUSION: The study indicates a highly relational process, where it is impossible to divide life into private and work, and presupposes balance in everyday life in multiple dimensions. Its contribution includes the formulation of perceived needs in the transition between intervention and return to work and could, through further research, be used to generate a more effective and sustainable return- and rehabilitation models. © 2023. The Author(s).

Introduction: Stress-related ill-health is one of the fastest-growing reasons for sick leave and an extensive societal problem. It affects the individual, the workplace, and society at large. People can experience stress in all areas of everyday life and often cope by stopping prioritizing themselves. Agenda 2030 third goal aims to promote good health and well-being for all and ensure people's opportunity to reach their full potential and contribute to society's development. However, the focus is often on interventions to rehabilitate people back from ill health, not to promote their health.

The aim was to explore what the risk factors, and what promotes well-being in people with stress-related ill-health from both a work and everyday perspective.

Method Through mixed methods with both quantitative tree analysis of 218 people before entering a work rehabilitation program, and qualitative content analysis of concluding notes of 54 people after the intervention a compilation was made.  

Results The findings of the studies show a highly relational process, where it is impossible to divide life into private and work, and presupposes balance in everyday life in multiple dimensions. It also indicates that risk factors aren’t about gender, age, or education- but about complex occupational patterns in daily life and a lack of social context.

Conclusion: Work and everyday life are highly intertwined. Perhaps the key to promoting our health and preventing stress-related ill-health is not to scale down on occupations and sleep more, but to add more meaningful occupations that give us a sense of participation and fellowship.

Background: Sick leave due to stress-related mental ill health increases in society. In occupational therapy, occupational balance is considered important for experiencing health and well-being. Thus, knowledge regarding occupational balance and occupational value constitute essential parts of occupational therapists’ work with people suffering from occupational ill health.

Objective: The aim of this study is to analyse the relationships between sociodemographic factors, occupational value, occupational balance and perceived health in people suffering from occupational ill health.

Methods: In a quantitative cross-sectional study data from a total of 218 individuals were included, 192 women, 22 men and 4 individuals who did not specify their gender. Data were collected by means of surveys prior to an occupational therapy intervention. The instruments used included OVal-pd, OBQ, EQ5D and a sociodemographic questionnaire. Data were analysed using regression and decision tree analysis.

Results: The results show that individuals who experience an imbalance in their everyday life and who have few or no experiences of daily occupations imprinted by socio-symbolic occupational value experienced lower perceived health.

Conclusions: Low level of experiences of balance in daily life and occupational value seems to be the main risk factors for the development of occupational ill health, rather than sociodemographic factors. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.