Date Presented 04/06/19
Boredom is an under-acknowledged phenomenon in the literature on homelessness, and of particular relevance to OT and occupational science. This study explores boredom experienced by homeless persons, confirming that it is a serious challenge faced by this population that imposes a negative impact on mental health and well-being. Future research with larger sample sizes will allow a finer analysis of the ways in which boredom impacts homeless persons.
Primary Author and Speaker: Carrie Anne Marshall
Contributing Authors: Lisa Davidson, Andrea Li, Rebecca Gewurtz, Laurence Roy, Skye Barbic, Bonnie Kirsh, Rosemary Lysaght
INTRODUCTION: Boredom has been identified as an issue experienced by homeless and formerly homeless adults in previous research. Few to no studies, however, have explored boredom as a central construct with this population. Boredom is an issue of much relevance to occupational therapy given its close relationship with meaningful activity engagement.
PURPOSE: To explore the impact of boredom and meaningful activity on the mental health of homeless adults, and to provide a foundation for future research exploring boredom with socially disadvantaged populations.
METHOD: A concurrent, mixed-methods design was used. Thirteen participants were purposively recruited from a shelter for homeless persons in a mid-size Canadian city. Participants completed a survey including the following measures: Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS); Multidimensional State Boredom Scale (MSBS); Short Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS); Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST); Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT); Community Integration Scale (CIS). Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted following completion of the quantitative interview, and analyzed using methods consistent with grounded theory.
RESULTS: Qualitative: Participants identified that boredom is a serious and pervasive daily experience resulting from few opportunities for engagement in meaningful activity. Three themes emerged from our analysis describing the experience of boredom, coping with boredom, and the impacts of boredom on the mental and social well-being of our sample. Boredom was described as imposing a strong negative impact on mental health, and participants coped primarily through substance use. Quantitative: Correlational analyses revealed a strong negative correlation between boredom (MSBS) and psychological community integration (CIS) (rs = -0.771, p < .01, 2-tailed), and a strong positive correlation between engagement in meaningful activity (EMAS) and mental well-being (SWEMWBS) (rs = 0.767, p<.01, 2-tailed).
CONCLUSION: Occupational therapists supporting homeless persons should be aware of the pervasive boredom that characterizes this experience. Opportunities for meaningful activity are important to the mental well being of homeless individuals. A critical issue, boredom, warrants further study in occupational therapy and occupational science.
References
Marshall, C. A., & Rosenberg, M. W. (2014). Occupation and the process of transition from homelessness. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 81(5), 330-338. doi: 10.1177/0008417414548573
Marshall, C., Lysaght, R., & Krupa, T. (2018). Occupational transition in the process of becoming housed following chronic homelessness. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 85(1), 33-45. doi: 10.1177/0008417417723351
O’Neill, B. (2015). Bored stiff: Sex and superfluity in a time of crisis. Public Culture, 27(2 (76)), 387-405. doi: 10.1215/08992363-2841916
O'Neill, B. (2014). Cast aside: Boredom, downward mobility, and homelessness in post-communist Bucharest. Cultural Anthropology, 29(1), 8-31. doi: 10.14506/ca29.1.03
