Abstract
This presentation focuses on the benefits of using SAH in educating OT students about schizophrenia and related conditions. Drawing from a mixed-methods study in which participants performed student-relevant occupations paired with SAH, the author highlights the benefits of combining SAH with performance of occupations of varying degrees of difficulty. This appears to optimize learning and help build empathy toward people living with mental illness.
Primary Author and Speaker: Bernard Muriithi
This presentation reports results from the first of three cohorts in an ongoing study of a learning activity for occupational therapy students. The study investigates educational benefits of simulated auditory hallucinations (SAH) paired with performance of a series of occupations of varying degrees of difficulty. In this activity, participants using portable devices listened to Hearing Voices, an audio recording created by Patricia Deegan which simulates auditory hallucinations, while performing six specified student-relevant occupations. After the 45-minute experience, participants rated their level of difficulty for each of the six activities on a Likert scale (1= very high, and 5= very low). Participants further wrote 2-3 page narrative papers in which they described their performance of each activity, stated why their ratings differed between tasks, discussed the impact SAH had on their understanding of this psychotic symptom, and reflected on whether this changed their perception of people who struggle with auditory hallucinations. The Likert scale questionnaires and reflective papers were collected from participants who agreed to participate in the study after the assignment was completed and grades posted.
Statistical analysis reveals that SAH made performance of occupations more difficult as shown by the overall mean (M= 2.81), which represents moderate to high difficulty. Pairwise analysis of variance (ANOVA) shows variations with difficulty of task performance when occupations are compared with one another. For example, a significant difference is noted between taking a test and socializing (p=0.002), whereas performing an ADL is not that different from watching a comedy show (p=1.00). Going into the library and searching for textbooks is comparable to social interaction (p=1.00). The most difficult tasks include watching a lecture video on schizophrenia while taking notes and taking a test (M=2.11 and M=2.57 respectively). Results show that tasks considered easier by most participants include watching a comedy show and performing an ADL (M=3.36 and M=3.40 respectively). Statistics reveal that most participants have comparable levels of difficulty with each specified task.
Preliminary themes emerging from qualitative analysis show high variability in experience and/or explanation for varied levels of difficulty between individuals and tasks. On the other hand some similarities in participant experiences or explanations are also noted. First of all SAH experience increases empathy toward people who live with schizophrenia because participants better understand how auditory hallucinations affect daily life. Secondly participants report that performance of some tasks was easier than others because it was easier to ignore the voices with some activities than with others. A third observation is that the relevance of content communicated by voices relative to what a participant was doing influenced the degree of difficulty with the task.
This study shows that pairing SAH with performance of occupations that differ in difficulty enhances student learning and improves empathy towards people living with schizophrenia and related disorders. It also shows that mixing qualitative and quantitative methods increases understanding of occupational performance over using either method separately. Elements of study that are personal, variable, or unquantifiable are better examined through qualitative analysis and could never possibly have been otherwise recognized. Although statistics do help determine what participants have in common, or what differs, the method leaves many ontological questions unanswered which become resolved through qualitative analysis.
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