Understanding the occupational identity of care-givers for people with mental health problems

Abstract

Introduction There is recognition within the literature that the role of care-giving can have a negative impact on care-givers’ general well-being. Less is understood about the role of care-giving on an individual’s occupational participation and in turn occupational identity. Occupational therapists have a unique understanding of the interplay between occupational participation and health, though this is an area that has been under researched in relation to mental health care-givers. Therefore, the current research aims to understand how the role of care-giving for an individual with a mental illness impacts on occupational participation and identity. Method A qualitative semi-structured interview the Occupational Performance and History Interview–Version 2 was utilised to understand life experiences. Six mental health care-givers were interviewed, and these interviews were transcribed for thematic analysis. Findings Three main themes were identified: being me, roles and responsibilities associated with care-giving and services. Conclusion The findings suggest being a mental health care-giver does have a detrimental impact on occupational participation and therefore occupational identity. As care-givers gained more experience in their role, they used occupational adaption as a positive coping mechanism that helped them achieve occupational balance. Using their unique understanding of occupational participation and occupational identity, occupational therapists are well placed to utilise their knowledge and skills to work in a systemic way supporting both the person with mental illness and their care-giver.