Resident and staff perceptions of an activity- and recovery-based intervention in supported housing for people with severe mental illness - a longitudinal pilot study

"It's not just the residents who need to be motivated for activity": a qualitative study of the perspectives of staff on providing activity support for people with psychiatric disabilities in supported housing in Sweden

Background

The goals for staff in Supported Housing for people with psychiatric disabilities include helping to develop the residents' independence and self-confidence in activities. However, staff have expressed frustration about providing this type of support when motivating residents to engage in meaningful activities and also about the difficulty in finding suitable levels of independence within a housing setting with limitations.

Objective

The aim is to explore the views and experiences of housing staff in Supported Housing on how they can stimulate and support engagement in activities for people with psychiatric disabilities.

Methods

Twenty-six members of staff from 20 supported housing units in 10 municipalities in Sweden were interviewed in five focus groups. A semi-structured interview guide was used, and the transcribed material was analyzed using qualitative content analysis.

Results

Three main categories emerged from the analysis: Multi-faceted factors influencing the staff's provision of activity support, Staff's approach for supporting activities, and Staff's struggles to develop their work. Obstacles to participating in activities in the community were identified. Many contrasting factors were found, such as spontaneous or structured activities and individual or group activities, which affected the staff's ability to motivate to activity.

Conclusion

A broad approach encompassing in-house training including a focus on values, recruitment policies, staff supervision and interventions focusing on both residents and staff are ways to support staff in motivating residents toward being more active within Supported Housing.

Experiences of occupational therapists within an ACT-based interdisciplinary pain management program

BACKGROUND

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation programs have shown effective results. While occupational therapy within these programs has made a unique contribution to pain management because of its focus on occupation and use of group activities, little is known about occupational therapists' own experiences of it.

AIM

The aim of this study was to describe the occupational therapists' experiences of working in a manual-based interdisciplinary pain management program grounded in ACT.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Six occupational therapists at a pain rehabilitation clinic were interviewed. Data were analysed using Braun and Clark's thematic analysis.

RESULTS

The occupational therapists experienced that ACT and occupational therapy complement each other and that ACT facilitated comprehension of occupational therapy interventions. With ACT, the team gained a common language, which made teamwork and patient comprehension more efficient. A behavioural analysis (SORC) served as a link between occupational therapy and ACT.

CONCLUSIONS

Manual-based occupational therapy activity group interventions with elements of ACT were felt to enhance the patient's understanding of their rehabilitation and supported teamwork.

SIGNIFICANCE

This study provides further support for use of ACT in occupational therapy within interdisciplinary pain management programs. Occupational therapists' use of SORC is an area of development.