Occupational Science Research Research Articles

Young Adults' Daily Participation Scale: A measure of objective and subjective participation.

Participation in occupations is considered essential for individuals' health and wellbeing. Participation is a multidimensional construct that encompasses objective and subjective dimensions that transform over the course of life. Nonetheless, there is a lack of comprehensive measures that examine young adults' participation in age-appropriate activities. Therefore, we developed the Young Adults' Daily Participation Scale (YADAPS) and aimed to explore its psychometric properties. In Study 1, the content validity of the YADAPS was established based on nine experts. Its internal consistency, criterion, convergent, and construct validity were explored among 115 typical young adults (21-35 years). Using a different sample, Study 2 examined YADAPS discriminant validity among 33 young adults with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and 52 typical peers. No consumer and community involvement was included in these studies. The relevance of YADAPS items was sufficient. Internal consistency was acceptable to excellent in most scales (.74 ≤α≤ .89). Criterion validity was supported by correlations between the subjective participation scales and a wellbeing measure. Convergent validity was found for all scales. No gender effect was observed (p≥ .05). However, significant differences (p≤ .05) were found between individuals with and without DCD. The YADAPS appears to be a promising measure of objective and subjective dimensions of participation in young adults. The results support the importance of examining various participation dimensions, including occupational experience. Thus, it may be used for clinical purposes among young adults as well as for occupational science research, to broaden our understanding on the interplay between participation dimensions in various life situations in young adulthood. However, further research is needed on psychometric properties, the most suited scoring method, and to consolidate their robustness among diverse populations of young adults. Participation, or how one engages in daily life activities, greatly affects wellbeing. The activities in one's routine change over the lifespan, in accordance with one's developmental phase. Existing assessments of participation have limitations, like not considering young adults' concerns or only focussing on certain aspects of participation. By focussing on both the objective-observable and subjective-experiential aspects of participation, the Young Adults' Daily Participation Scale (YADAPS) strives to be a comprehensive assessment tool designed specifically for reflecting activities relevant in young adulthood. This manuscript provides preliminary validity and reliability for the YADAPS, a new questionnaire that assesses objective and subjective aspects of participation in activities relevant for individuals in young adulthood. Furthermore, the questionnaire is able to distinguish between young adults with and without participation difficulties; therefore, it is suitable for research and clinical use.

Crossdisciplinary approaches as applied in occupational science

ABSTRACT This discussion paper aimed to explore various cross-disciplinary approaches (i.e., multi-disciplinary, inter-disciplinary, trans-disciplinary, and post-disciplinary) employed in occupational science research. By describing how these approaches are applied in sample studies, our discussion paper shows that taking a cross-disciplinary approach can broaden understandings of complex societal issues related to health, well-being, and human behaviour. Although our paper is data-free and non-systematic, we present our reflections to encourage discussion on the topic of cross-disciplinary approaches. We also want to open the dialogue for occupational scientists to consciously choose cross-disciplinary approaches in their occupational science work. This will enhance the potential for groundbreaking and impactful processes and outcomes both in research and practice.

Experiences of occupational balance following retirement: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

ABSTRACT Achieving occupational balance is crucial for promoting retirees’ health and well-being, but little is known about how retirees in Malaysia experience occupational balance after retirement. This study explored the experiences of occupational balance among 12 retirees in Malaysia, aged 60 years and above, using interpretative phenomenological analysis of online one-to-one in-depth interviews. The essence of occupational balance experiences was described in four superordinate themes: satisfaction through occupation, occupational proportion, achieving occupational balance, and challenges towards occupational balance. Retirees reported experiencing occupational balance through engaging in satisfying occupations and balancing the proportions of their occupations. To achieve occupational balance, they desired to socialise with friends and family members and remained active, but faced challenges related to health, finances, and the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings of the current study have implications for retirees, their families, and policymakers seeking to promote successful ageing and quality of life. By focusing on Malaysian retirees, the study contributes to the understanding of occupational balance in a non-Western context, thereby enriching the cultural diversity of research within occupational science. However, it also highlights the need for future occupational science research on how occupational satisfaction, proportions, participation, health status, financial status, and COVID-19 impact occupational balance in the retiree population.

Understanding ‘violence’ within protest: A call for further research within occupational therapy and occupational science

ABSTRACT There is a dearth of research in occupational science towards understanding ‘violence' within the context of protest, including why and how these two phenomena occur in and of each other and why both are characteristic of Post-Apartheid South Africa. This gap in knowledge is particularly concerning as both the profession of occupational therapy and the discipline of occupational science are concerned with human occupation as a means of analysing everyday doing as shaped by context. Efforts towards contextually reflexive research, practice, and education in the discipline and profession cannot continue to ignore this issue, especially as it pertains to the impact of violence within protest on the health and well-being of activists. This article offers a historical analysis of protest ‘violence’ across key political shifts in South Africa, using a decolonial lens. This perspective foregrounds colonial configurations of context, and the need to critically interrogate structures, practices, and processes that are potentially complicit in sustaining and reproducing this social order. The conceptualisation of what is termed ‘violence’ within the context of protest is problematised throughout, highlighting the contested nature of this term. Lastly, this article identifies occupational science constructs that may offer insights into this complex phenomenon and notes pertinent questions for theory and practice developments.

Interrogating whiteness: Critical reflections on occupational science scholarship and social responsibility

ABSTRACT This paper interrogates the obscurity of whiteness and white supremacy as a system of thought and white racialization as a social process influencing habits of inquiry in occupational science research. By attending to the relationships between whiteness, white supremacy, and occupation, occupational science scholars can critically engage in research that dismantles harmful societal understandings of occupation within their science and in society-at-large. This social responsibility further requires occupational science scholars to initiate anti-racist research and scholarship that actively seeks undoing normalized structural racism by taking up critical theories authored by theorists of Color. Doing so offers alternate ways of conceptualizing human doing, thinking, being, knowing, becoming, and belonging pertinent to people across racialized identities. Critical epistemologies and research approaches, such as critical participatory action research, hold potential for the discipline to ethically produce anti-racist research applicable to diverse populations. However, whiteness must be attended to and deconstructed throughout research processes.

Participatory Research with Persons who Experience Mental Illness in Occupational Therapy: A Scoping Review.

Background. Persons who experience mental illness also face stigma and discrimination that frequently lead to a loss of ability to exercise autonomy and agency in their lives. Purpose. The range and breadth of literature exploring participatory research with persons living with mental illness are unknown in occupational therapy and occupation science. We initiated this study to fill this gap in the existing occupational therapy and occupational science literature. Method. Using the method of Arksey and O'Malley, we have conducted a scoping review to identify the range and breadth of literature. A qualitative content analysis was performed. Findings. A total of 34 articles were included in the narrative synthesis. The content analysis led to three related themes from the included studies: (1) coming together; (2) unique potential of participatory research; and (3) challenges in conducting participatory research. Conclusions. This review highlights that participatory research is well suited to research conducted with persons living with mental illness to support meaningful engagement and minimize stigma throughout the research process. This review can guide future participatory research and practice in occupational therapy and occupational science with persons living with mental illness.

Occupational transitions of leaving a cult: A study of publicly available accounts

ABSTRACT While the formation of cults worldwide has steadily decreased since the 1970s, there are still a significant number of former members who have been impacted by their involvement and face unique challenges transitioning out of these organizations. While research within the field of psychology is robust, little is known about the occupational transition of individuals who leave cults. This study utilized a qualitative interpretive description methodology. Data consisted of 11 first-hand accounts of former members across various multimedia sources (memoirs, podcasts, blogs, and social media posts). The frameworks of doing, being, becoming, and belonging were utilized to guide theme development and enrich the analysis. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis and five themes were identified: Forbidden occupations, Fish out of water, Finding closure through occupation, (Re)Discovering self through occupation, and Rebuilding life. This study contributes to occupational science research by examining the occupational transition of leaving a cult. Increasing the knowledge base on this topic will not only increase understanding of this population but generates an opportunity to provide occupation-centered supports to enhance transitions. Additional research that embraces former members’ active participation across the research process and methods that allow for more feedback from former members, including interview-based methods, may further validate the findings of this study and amplify the experience of this population in transition.

Discourses on Sexuality and Occupations: Reflections for Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science

Sexuality and occupation are two constructs studied in different fields of knowledge. Particularly, in occupational therapy and occupational science, their relationship has been sparsely explored from a philosophical perspective. In the following reflection, we present some philosophical approaches to sexuality, occupation, and performativity to inquire about the impact of discourses about sexuality on the practice of occupations. For this analysis, we take an example developed by Foucault in one of his classes at the Collège de France. We believe that this helps us question the established discourses surrounding truth, especially concerning sexuality. Subsequently, we address the concept of occupation, taking into consideration Schliebener’s proposal from existentialist philosophy. Understanding occupation as a dimension of being, we explain how it can be comprehended through Butler’s theory of performativity and, consequently, express a sexual dimension. Finally, we establish an interconnection between the preceding concepts, taking sexual dissidents as an example. We propose that this reflection can broaden the possibilities of understanding occupations as points of resistance against normative discourses about sexuality. This may be relevant for contemplating practice and research in occupational science and occupational therapy, as it expands the understanding of sexuality beyond mere activities and centers it as a form of expression of being through occupation.

Theoretical and methodological alignment through multi-modal research designs: Advancing the transactional perspective of occupation

ABSTRACT Moving beyond an individualized perspective in occupational science requires not only a theoretical paradigm shift, but also a methodological shift, broadening the focus beyond the individual experience. Methodologically, recentering the focus of inquiry to action requires thoughtful consideration of procedures to minimize some of the traditional dualisms separating individuals’ experiences of cognition and emotion, as well as distinctions drawn between individuals and the natural world. The Transactional Perspective of Occupation (TPO) supports the reduction in dualism through its action-orientation, naturalistic perspective, and conceptual understanding of the aesthetic experience. Consistent with this theoretical stance, non-participatory visual methods provide an opportunity to explore nuances of occupation that are less frequently addressed. Grounded in concepts of the TPO, this paper reviews two of these promising methods, providing an exemplar of how visual methods in occupational science research can be used to deepen understanding of occupation without privileging the individual voice. This exemplar examines multi-species engagement of horses and humans, which provides a natural opportunity to move beyond the language-based and individual-centric strategies that are commonly utilized to explore occupation. Methods and modes of analysis will be discussed, followed by a critique of their potential utility and value for future research aligned with the TPO. Employing non-participatory visual methods provides a new strategy for occupational scientists to reach past the individual perspective and more fully engage the dynamic, situated nature of occupation.

Convergence of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy: Updates on OTJR's Occupational Science Section.

Established in 2019, OTJR's Occupational Science Section provides a dedicated venue for showcasing empirical occupational science research and fostering translation of that research into occupational therapy practices. In this invited commentary, the first and second Associate Editors of the Occupational Science Section reflect on its early growth, connecting the foci of the Occupational Science Section to topics discussed at selected occupational science and occupational therapy conferences in 2022. The commentary concludes with a discussion of future possibilities for the Occupational Science Section as it moves forward.

Fear and Trembling While Working in a Pandemic: an Exploratory Meta-Analysis of Workers' COVID-19 Distress.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s41542-022-00131-x.

Examining racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity in occupational science research: Perspectives of persons of color

ABSTRACT Diverse sociodemographic identities, including race, culture, ethnicity, and gender, are important influences on one’s occupational patterns and choices. However, occupational science theories and research were originally driven by Western White middle-class researchers and conducted on White participants. With a focus on the Western context, we sought to identify areas for improvement in the delivery and conduct of occupational science research with considerations of race, ethnicity, culture, and occupation among underrepresented racial groups. A critical content analysis was conducted of empirical research undertaken in Western countries between 2015 and 2020 and published in the Journal of Occupational Science (JOS). This analysis asked (a) What is the stated positionality of first author? (b) What are the racial or ethnic orientations of research participants? and (c) Is there explicit discussion of a racial/ethnic phenomenon? The findings reveal a lack of scholarship on race, ethnicity, and culture. Many primary authors did not explicate their positionality in relation to the research topics and study participants. The findings reify that the current production of occupational science research continues to occur within a wider field of social relations that is characterized by the agendas, interests, and values of the dominant group. Informed by critical race theory, we urge occupational science academic journals and their contributing authors to commit to epistemological antiracism. We recommend making space for racialized perspectives; acknowledging how these identities affect engagement and choice of occupations; clarifying who regulates, narrates, and participates in occupational science research; and creating inclusive scholarly ecosystems.

Como a resiliência é conceituada e operacionalizada na literatura de ciência ocupacional e terapia ocupacional? Protocolo para uma revisão de escopo

Abstract Introduction Resilience is a commonly discussed term describing the ability to overcome, adapt to, or cope with stressful/disruptive events. Although researchers and practitioners define resilience in diverse ways – e.g., psychological or disaster resilience – the concept fundamentally encompasses perseverance through adversity. As experts in the interplay between individuals, environments, and occupations, occupational therapists and occupational scientists have great potential to understand and enable resilience, with some similar concepts appearing in occupational theories (e.g., occupational adaptation). However, there are no published reviews of resilience in the occupation-focused literature. Objective We will explore how resilience is conceptualized and operationalized in the occupational therapy and occupational science research literature. Method Guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology, we will search library databases and other sources for relevant records. Two team members will screen records for inclusion, with discrepancies settled by a third person. We will include English-language literature (including research papers, editorials, dissertations, etc.) published since 1990 which 1) contains the word root ‘resilien*’ and 2) is occupation focused, according to our criteria (occupational therapist/occupational scientist co-authors or research participants; and/or published in occupation-focused periodical). We will report key information of included literature, such as methodology and resilience theories discussed. Results Our study is ongoing at the time of publication; this manuscript reports its protocol without results. Conclusion Findings will be useful for clinicians and researchers looking for occupational conceptualizations of resilience. From a social justice perspective, our review may highlight evidence that occupational engagement can foster resilience among marginalized communities.

Applying the go-along method to enhance understandings of occupation in context

ABSTRACT Engaging in human occupation is complex, often involving commonplace practices that cannot be readily articulated. Accordingly, a growing number of occupational science and occupational therapy scholars have called for expanded qualitative methodologies and methods to support enhanced understandings of occupation in context. In this paper we respond to these calls by discussing how the go-along method—a hybrid of participant observation and interviewing—can be layered with an occupational lens to enhance the in-depth study of occupation. We provide an overview of the use of interview and observational methods in occupational science and occupational therapy research, as well as an introduction to the go-along method. Next we draw upon two go-along interviews from a larger ethnographic study to illustrate the method’s contributions to the study of occupation and describe considerations when using this method. Ultimately, we assert that the go-along method is a useful tool for exploring the complex, situated, and experiential nature of occupation.

Embracing transnational approaches for a more thorough and critical understanding of occupation in research on migration

ABSTRACT In occupational science, migration has mainly been considered as an ‘uprooting’ experience and occupational scientists have examined the centrality of occupation in migrants’ integration in their receiving countries. Concerned about occupational injustices, occupational scientists have aimed at uncovering barriers that migrants face in their occupations and how these barriers can be overcome in their receiving countries. Migrants’ connections to their sending countries have been considered mainly as a cultural background that ought to be negotiated in the integration process, but the occupation-based literature has, to date, largely disregarded migrants’ ongoing cross-border occupations. We argue that occupational science could benefit from and contribute to theorisations of transnationalism, through examination of the ties migrants maintain across borders through occupation, especially with their sending countries. Firstly, we introduce transnationalism as an essentially occupational phenomenon. Migrants’ transnational occupations are embedded in their lives and ought to be included in occupational science research. Secondly, we argue that transnational approaches would further critical understandings of migrants’ occupations by taking into account power dynamics operating within and beyond the borders of their receiving nation-states and by countering methodological nationalism and assimilationist approaches to integration. Finally, we present shortcomings in current theorisations of transnationalism. We argue that occupational science could contribute to addressing these shortcomings through its unique disciplinary perspective as well as body of theories and methods related to the spatiality of occupation.

Work-life balance as a personal responsibility: The impact on strategies for coping with interrole conflict

ABSTRACT In a neoliberal socio-political climate, there is increased pressure at work as well as greater expectations regarding the performance of non-work roles. These factors compound the challenge of coping with interrole conflict. In more economically developed countries, work-life balance is a term that has come to dominate the conceptualization of interrole conflict negotiation within public discourse. The manner in which this term has been adopted within the context of neoliberal ideology has shifted the responsibility for managing interrole conflict from the organizational and policy (macro) level to the individual (micro) level. This process has resulted in a maladaptive situation in which the individual seeks to independently regulate conflicting role demands with problem-focused coping strategies that are largely inspired by performance management techniques of the workplace. In response to this situation, it is first necessary to examine the implicit assumptions held within the public’s understanding of the work-life balance concept and to assess how these assumptions shape the strategies taken up by the individual to cope with interrole conflict. Secondly, there is a need to develop coping strategies that are better adapted to address personal objectives. Alternative models issued from occupational science research, such as occupational balance, lifestyle balance, or life balance, may be better suited to understand and address interrole conflict negotiation on an individual level.

Global occupational health research methods education

Occupational and Public Health Research has been developed gradually over the last century, unfortunately not to the same levels in all continental parts of the globe. The aim is to supply an open modular educational program in Occupational- and Public Health research methodology for research of the risk indicators for the prevention of workers' health and safety globally. The modular educational program in research methodology is based on the Humboldtian university model with unity of research and teaching. Research data for the students comes from the research part of the “Maritime Education and Research Network” for all types of industries. The modules constitute the basic education in occupational health science research methodology. The proposal for Master of Science for medical doctor's specialization in occupational medicine with an emphasis on research includes 3 theoretical and a clinical module. The huge difference in research methodology globally indicates inequity in relation to the UN17 goals that need to be taken hand on. Global collaboration in teaching health research methodology is needed to reach the goals of equity in health science education. The aim is to reduce the inequity in global health by strengthening the education in health science research methodology.•Open access educational program for health science research methodology to reach the UN17 goals.•The modules constitute the education in research methodology for Public- and Occupational health.•Global education in health research methodology is needed to eliminate the inequity in global health.

Enacting a critical decolonizing ethnographic approach in occupation-based research

ABSTRACT In response to calls for challenging coloniality and imperialism within occupational science, this paper outlines central tenets of decolonial theory and decolonizing methodological approaches to illustrate their relevance to transformative occupation-based research. Through describing the first-author’s dissertation work enacted in Tanzania, we illustrate how these principles unfolded through the design and enactment of a critical decolonizing ethnographic methodology in Tanzania. We unpack three tensions that were experienced in the field, share how these challenges were navigated, and discuss overall implications and risks of enacting decolonial approaches to research in occupational science. Ultimately, this paper aims to build upon existing decolonial scholarship within occupational science to further dialogue on both the necessities and tensions of enacting decolonizing approaches within occupation-based research, as well as highlight cautions for settler researchers engaging in such work.

Meliorism and knowledge mobilization: Strategies for occupational science research and practice

ABSTRACT This article proposes that ‘meliorism’—a philosophical belief in people’s abilities to improve lived experience through engaged problem-solving—is a useful concept to describe and orient occupational science research, given the challenges of our time. This proposal derives from an intensive period of discussion through occupational science seminars, strategic planning sessions, and other activities at the University of Southern California’s Mrs. T. H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, including preparations for the 26th Occupational Science Symposium in 2019. While many disciplines and professions express a melioristic intent, we believe that occupational science and occupational therapy exemplify a particular understanding of meliorism, given the view of occupation that they share, as: 1) engaged activity that has meaning and purpose; and 2) a powerful tool that builds consciousness and practices that can promote desired change. We suggest that occupational scientists’ aim to develop impactful research manifests these conceptual foundations. Further, we argue that a commitment to meliorism requires concerted efforts to mobilize knowledge by intentionally planning for stakeholder engagement and societal impact across all phases of research. We suggest that active knowledge mobilization will enhance the knowledge base of occupational science and help to realize its meliorist potential in both research and practice contexts.

Doing nonbinary gender: The occupational experience of nonbinary persons in the environment

ABSTRACT Understanding the effect of the environment is fundamental to grasping the occupational experiences of nonbinary individuals. Current research in occupational science addresses the occupations of the transgender population but often fails to distinguish between the binary and nonbinary experience. There is an absence of occupational science research that solely focuses on the nonbinary experience. This study focuses on nonbinary individuals and aims to illuminate the environmental factors that support or hinder occupational engagement for nonbinary individuals. Using a descriptive qualitative research design, we conducted two interviews per participant and photo-elicitation. Data analysis resulted in three themes: binary environments and safe spaces, navigating binary spaces through doing gender and avoiding unsafe spaces, and undoing gender through occupation. These themes capture the experience of occupations within the environment for nonbinary people involved doing, being, and becoming nonbinary gender. Each of these responses depended on how safe and welcoming the environment was perceived to be. Our findings illuminate that the process of doing nonbinary gender is a reciprocal relationship between the person, their occupations, and the environment, and support the complex nature of occupation for diverse populations that fall outside the dominant binary culture.