{"title":"Special Issue on Place","authors":"C. Hand","doi":"10.1080/14427591.2023.2170679","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2023.2170679","url":null,"abstract":"Place is a fundamental part of the occupations of everyday life. In 2008 Rowles advocated seeking knowledge of how person and place come together in humans’ search for meaning, attending to how ‘being in place’ is created through actions, routines in time and space, familiarity with life spaces, and emotional responses to place. Attention to place in occupational science has continued to grow in recent years, shaped by the current global context as well as theoretical and empirical work in occupational science and beyond. Globally, there are significant challenges to sense of place and engaging in occupation in place that have prompted research, for example experiences of marginalization and oppression in place among multiple individuals and collectives; immigration and displacement highlighting the impact that a change in place can have on daily life; and consequences of measures to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as restricting one’s life spaces. A transactional perspective of place and occupation, which has been developed and applied in occupational science over the past decade or so, holds that they are co-constitutive and impossible to separate. That is, occupation is a transaction that joins person and place, with such transactions extending over time, as the person transacts within their past, current, and future contexts toward their vision of the future (Dickie et al., 2006). Several articles in this issue employ this approach. This issue presents nine articles related to occupation in place. Four are from Canada, four are from the United States, and one is from the United Kingdom. The articles examine place empirically, theoretically, and methodologically.Many drawon place-based theory such as transactional perspectives of occupation, place integration, sense of place, and emplacement. This issue addresses topics of immigration, aging ‘out-of-place’, human-canine interactions, mothering, online gaming, exclusion among older adults, embodiment and emplacement, and place-based research methods. All relate to ideas of built, natural, social, cultural, societal, temporal, and/or historical aspects of place and context. The first two articles in this issue focus on refugees and the process of re-establishing place and identity through occupation. Khan et al. (2023) conducted a narrative inquiry to explore occupational transitions among Syrian youth who had experienced forced migration to Canada. Part of the authors’ positionality was that they viewed “forced migration from one’s homeland as a life-altering experience that involves the process of re-establishing one’s identity and place through continuous negotiation between one’s own cultural values and the norms of the new society” (p. 8). The authors found that displacement from one’s home country meant an ‘unfolding’ of occupational possibilities, which were shaped by sociocultural and political contexts. The Syrian youth sought to find a place in society through educatio","PeriodicalId":51542,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Science","volume":"30 1","pages":"1 - 5"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2023-01-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47704864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sofia Zogogianni, G. Whiteford, Panagiotis Siaperas
{"title":"Understanding disruptions to children’s patterns of occupation and forms of occupational engagement during COVID-19 in Greece: An exploratory study","authors":"Sofia Zogogianni, G. Whiteford, Panagiotis Siaperas","doi":"10.1080/14427591.2022.2149051","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2022.2149051","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Background Occupational engagement and participation is considered essential for children’s health, development, and social connectedness. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing government ordered restrictions in Greece, school aged children’s patterns of occupational engagement were altered. Purpose The purpose of this study was to explore the ways in which restrictions disrupted school aged children’s occupational patterns and the ways in which they engaged in chosen occupations in Greece during the first wave of COVID-19 in 2020. Design/methodology Two hundred and seventy-five children aged 6- to 12-years old completed the Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) online. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to identify how the patterns of occupation and forms of occupational engagement changed during the COVID-19 related restrictions and whether age or gender could be correlated to any altered patterns identified. Findings Children became more involved in home-based informal occupations—particularly recreational occupations—and the forms of their occupational engagement altered. Gender apparently influenced the types of occupations in which the children participated and there was an increase in the amount of time spent with family members in co-occupations. Conclusion The study described in this article was unique in that it was conducted during the first wave of COVID-19 in Greece. Its findings highlight the impacts of restrictions on children’s patterns of occupation and forms of occupational engagement within a global pandemic context.","PeriodicalId":51542,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Science","volume":"30 1","pages":"390 - 402"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41409437","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Forbidden fruit: An exploration of meaning construction of tobacco smoking of people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)","authors":"Natalie Gätz, F. van Nes, Jesper Larsen Maersk","doi":"10.1080/14427591.2022.2148722","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2022.2148722","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Background: Smoking is an avoidable risk factor for diseases, impacting socioeconomic and health care systems globally. The meaning, purposes, and values related to continued smoking after being diagnosed with COPD have not yet been sufficiently explored from an occupational perspective. Gaining an understanding of why people continue to engage in health-compromising or harmful occupations facilitates a more inclusive view on and discussion of occupation. The purpose of this study was to explore meaning construction regarding the occupation of tobacco smoking of people living with COPD in Germany. Methods: This study applied an interpretative phenomenology analysis (IPA) approach to explore the lived experience of people living with COPD who continue to smoke. Four participants were interviewed. Their accounts were then analysed following IPA guidelines. Findings: Three themes emerged from the data: Set in stone, Forbidden fruit, and To wear sackcloth and ashes. Smoking was experienced as a meaningful occupation, and it was especially valued for how it structured the day. Smoking was a familiar habit, and it supported emotional, physical, and cognitive well-being, and contributed to sense of identity. Conclusion: The findings illustrate the importance of understanding occupations that are not positively related to physical health and well-being because of their harmful nature. The findings of this study suggest that occupations do not need to be health-promoting, productive, or reasonable to be meaningful to individuals—meaning is constructed by subjective perceptions of enjoyment, pleasure, and well-being and by experiencing a sense of restoration and reward when engaging in them.","PeriodicalId":51542,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Science","volume":"30 1","pages":"560 - 574"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-12-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45857680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Supported employment for youth with intellectual disability: Promoting occupational justice","authors":"Madri Engelbrecht, L. van Niekerk, L. Shaw","doi":"10.1080/14427591.2022.2146159","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2022.2146159","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Introduction: Youth with intellectual disabilities are severely marginalized in accessing employment. South African policies recognize this group as a priority in youth development efforts, but employment research focuses mainly on adults with disabilities. A lack of understanding about the employment endeavours of youth with intellectual disabilities leads to a shortfall in focused employment strategies and could perpetuate occupational injustices for this group. Aim: To explore how a South African work transition program for youth with intellectual disabilities promotes occupational justice through work. Methodology: Critical ethnography and a critical occupational perspective were used to highlight the socio-political context of the program and structural influences on opportunity in work for youth with intellectual disabilities. Eight in-depth interviews were conducted with program directors, a job coach, and an employer, plus five focus group interviews with employed and unemployed youth respectively. Available program documents were reviewed, and reflective journaling was done on observations during interviews. Content analysis of reviewed documents and thematic analysis of interview transcripts were completed. Manifestations of occupational justice were considered in all program aspects. Findings: The individualized support tenet of ‘supported employment’ promoted youth with intellectual disabilities’ uptake of occupational opportunities and sustained participation in work as meaningful occupation. Support was offered by different role players and premised on the program’s human rights foundation in recognition of a concern for contextual barriers, such as policy shortfalls that constrain employment participation and perpetuate occupational injustices for youth with intellectual disabilities.","PeriodicalId":51542,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Science","volume":"30 1","pages":"403 - 419"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48885109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond ‘bad’ behaviors: A call for occupational scientists to rethink autism","authors":"Elinor Taylor","doi":"10.1080/14427591.2022.2136231","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2022.2136231","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT In this paper, I explore how autistic behaviors are rendered Othered transgressive acts in general research and in the figured world of occupation. I assess how the normalization agenda, which aims to condition autistic people into appearing abled, is associated with endemic disparities. I contend that occupational science has often countered anti-autistic stigma. However, I analyze how the field has perpetuated ableism by replicating normalization ideology and through its silence on the occupational significance of autistic behaviors. To contrast dominant assumptions, I examine autistic ways of being within occupational frameworks. I propose that the field can foster inclusion, rethink its figured worlds, and recognize autistic behaviors to promote social responsiveness. I argue these steps are ethically imperative as evidence on the harms of normalization accumulates.","PeriodicalId":51542,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Science","volume":"30 1","pages":"575 - 590"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43464310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Robert David van der Veen, Staffan Johansson, T. Satink
{"title":"The experience of sleep: A descriptive phenomenological study of Dutch adults","authors":"Robert David van der Veen, Staffan Johansson, T. Satink","doi":"10.1080/14427591.2022.2132998","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2022.2132998","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Sleep is a frequently mentioned topic in current occupational science and occupational therapy literature, indicating an increasing interest in this occupation. However, we found a lack of understanding of the sleep experience in the literature. In our study, we sought to explore the experience of sleep among a sample of adults living in the Netherlands. We used a qualitative research design following descriptive phenomenology methodology. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with 13 adults (two males, 10 females, one nonbinary), transcribed verbatim, and analysed according to descriptive phenomenology. Findings indicate that sleep can be understood as a personal experience on physical, mental, and emotional levels under unique temporal, spatial, and sociocultural conditions. Participants described sleep as a tripartite process: (a) approaching sleep to finish the day, (b) being asleep and dreaming, and (c) leaving sleep behind for a new day. A core element of sleep is making a transition between 2 days, during which recovery and processing occur. Fundamental to engaging in sleep are the feelings of safety and security shaped by habits, routines, and adjustments to the social and physical context. Participants expressed a personal need for and personal meaning in this occupation, describing sleep as an intertwined experience affected by and affecting other occupations.","PeriodicalId":51542,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Science","volume":"30 1","pages":"617 - 633"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43841887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fatima Hendricks, R. Galvaan, Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy
{"title":"Tensions in describing Muslim religious practices: Insights generated from an Islamic monotheist perspective","authors":"Fatima Hendricks, R. Galvaan, Shaykh Muhammad bin Yahya al-Ninowy","doi":"10.1080/14427591.2022.2132997","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2022.2132997","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT As forms of human occupation, religious practices have tended to be separated from spirituality in occupational science discussions. This paper describes the tensions we experienced in trying to situate a religious practice in Islam, namely salah (prayer), in relation to existing understandings of human occupation. We think through these tensions, drawing upon Islamic ontology and epistemology. Using a qualitative research design, we generated data using critical reflections by the first and third authors. Using their experience, and an Islamic ontology and epistemology, the co-authors analyzed and explicated the tensions experienced and identified during the academic project describing Muslim religious practices in occupational science. We use the embodiment and enactment of salah as our prominent illustrative example. The findings represent three tensions: Ontological differences through Islamic Monotheism; A fragmented and segregated view of Islam and Deen versus religion; and Tackling the dichotomy between religious and non-religious. We discuss how Islamic epistemology provides a harmonious way of capturing the fullness of religious practices such as salah. We suggest that this demonstrates a decolonial effort at focusing on viewing religious practices as occupations.","PeriodicalId":51542,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Science","volume":"30 1","pages":"673 - 683"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46579786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Hand, Kris Prentice, Colleen McGrath, D. Rudman, C. Donnelly
{"title":"Contested occupation in place: Experiences of inclusion and exclusion in seniors’ housing","authors":"C. Hand, Kris Prentice, Colleen McGrath, D. Rudman, C. Donnelly","doi":"10.1080/14427591.2022.2125897","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2022.2125897","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Congregate living among older adults aims to enhance important aspects of well-being, such as sense of community and social engagement. Such settings, however, involve a complexity of social and power relations, and inclusion and exclusion along lines of occupation and place can occur. In this paper we develop a concept of contested occupation in place and use this concept to explore experiences of inclusion and exclusion in a seniors-only apartment building. Data were drawn from a participatory action research (PAR) project aimed at building social connectedness among residents of this building. Throughout the project we collected data about the PAR processes and outcomes through observation and reflexive notetaking. We also conducted end-of-project semi-structured interviews with nine residents who were part of the PAR collective. Analysis focused on data pertaining to issues of occupation in place, including key collective occupations, points of tension, and links to communal spaces in the apartment building. The findings presented here centre on collective occupations in the building common room that were contested and illustrate how occupation in place can be a mechanism of exclusion. Residents attempted to assert power in a variety of ways, often related to pre-existing social tensions. These findings indicate the importance of attending to power dynamics over time and identifying potentially exclusionary practices within collective occupation in place. Further research can explore how dynamics at micro scales reflect larger societal dynamics of inclusion and exclusion, as well as explore additional settings in which older adults live and engage in collective occupations.","PeriodicalId":51542,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Science","volume":"30 1","pages":"94 - 110"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45501446","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
H. Abigail Reid, J. Holmes, D. Rudman, Andrew M. Johnson
{"title":"Representing informal caregivers of older adults in occupation-focused research: A critical interpretive synthesis","authors":"H. Abigail Reid, J. Holmes, D. Rudman, Andrew M. Johnson","doi":"10.1080/14427591.2022.2122542","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2022.2122542","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Within the current demographic and political context, it is likely there will be increasing reliance on informal caregivers in the provision of care to older adults in Western nations. This critical interpretive synthesis explored how informal caregiving has been conceptualized and researched in the occupation-based literature. Five occupation-focused journals were searched for articles on informal caregiving for older adults, resulting in 17 primary research articles. Analysis of these articles revealed that there has been an increasing focus on the experiences of caregivers (as opposed to divided focus between caregivers and care recipients) and that transactional perspectives and exploration of co-occupations have expanded the scope of the literature in this field. This synthesis points to a need to turn greater attention to diversity among informal caregivers, particularly in relation to gender and gender identity and raises concerns regarding lack of critical attention to informal caregiving as embedded in social relations of power. An occupational perspective can contribute to research on informal caregiving by generating knowledge regarding how this occupation is shaped in relation to contextual and political elements and has the potential to illuminate implications for the occupations of caregivers and care recipients.","PeriodicalId":51542,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Science","volume":"30 1","pages":"472 - 486"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42905609","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Examining racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity in occupational science research: Perspectives of persons of color","authors":"Sachindri Wijekoon, Nedra Peter","doi":"10.1080/14427591.2022.2119269","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2022.2119269","url":null,"abstract":"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.","PeriodicalId":51542,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational Science","volume":"30 1","pages":"322 - 341"},"PeriodicalIF":2.4,"publicationDate":"2022-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45178005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}