An investigation into the role and meaning of occupation for people living with on‐going health conditions

Abstract

In Australia and internationally, more people are developing on-going health conditions (chronic illnesses) in which their daily occupations are implicated in both the onset and management of the condition. This article investigates the role and meaning of occupation from a client-centred perspective. It presents one aspect of a broader study that aimed to inform occupation-based practice for people living with on-going health conditions. This study used an emergent, mixed methods design. A total of 16 adult participants, with one or more on-going health conditions that impacted on their participation in occupations, were interviewed using two semi-structured interviews. Narrative data were analysed using grounded theory methods which included coding, memo-writing and constant comparison. A theoretical understanding, consisting of four categories and a core concept, was constructed through the data analysis. Occupation fulfils four distinct, but interrelated, roles for people living with on-going health conditions. Engaging in occupation can reveal, explain, manage and overcome on-going health conditions. The core concept, 'occupation empowers', integrates the different roles of occupation and reflects the meaning of occupation for people with on-going health conditions. This study contributes a theoretical understanding of the roles and meaning of occupation that is grounded in the experiences of people living with on-going health conditions. These findings extend our understanding of human occupation, and highlight the importance of narrative techniques to support occupation-based practice and empower people living with on-going illness.