OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research

Qualitative research in occupational therapy has been flourishing for approximately three decades. Qualitative researchers in the profession are asked to take an informed, critical view of the literature to move it from the first to the second generation. The authors present a history of the three main qualitative traditions (ethnography, phenomenology, and grounded theory), focusing on key issues related to naturalism and interpretation, especially since philosophy's mid-20th century “linguistic turn.” They offer guidelines for the second generation, including more engagement with social theory, more sophisticated approaches to language, deeper immersion in contexts, more attention to observation, and greater participation in scholarly debates in and out of the profession.

This ethnographic study explored how processes of meaning take place in the everyday activities of women with chronic rheumatic conditions. Using the French philosopher Ricoeur's theory of narrative in action, the results showed how processes of meaning were closely linked to action and how the participants enacted possible meaning-related stories in their everyday lives. When enacting meaning, the women linked together events in ways that varied according to the situation. Thus, the enacted processes of meaning were not goal directed or clear but rather complex processes embedded in the women's network of cultural activity. Sometimes they enacted meaning as part of a complete story; at other times, meaning appeared as fragments with unclear connections. The results were relevant for occupational science and occupational therapy because the women's everyday activities functioned as interpretative spaces providing opportunities for “trying out” significant issues of meaning and to communicate with their social and material worlds.

Actions link meaning to particular places over time. This study examined how familiar places, in turn, inspired or influenced actions in the rehabilitation process for individuals who had experienced stroke. The aim of this study was to describe the meanings of actions in different places during 1 year of rehabilitation after stroke. The interview data were longitudinal and collected on four occasions during the first year after stroke (e.g., at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months). Seven categories emerged from the data analysis using a constant comparative method: (1) workplace in mind, (2) experiences at home enabling reflection, (3) rehabilitation setting creates uncertainty, (4) retrieving inspiration from familiar places, (5) matching the complexity of tasks across places, (6) understanding the reality by confrontation, and (7) on the way to place integration. From these themes, a core or overarching theme emerged: the desire for place integration inspires engagement in rehabilitation. The central finding in this study revealed a strong relationship between the desire to be reintegrated into familiar places, such as work and home, and motivation to engage in rehabilitation. Further, this desire for place integration was a constant driving force over the year that motivated the participants to find activities on their own that matched the task demands at their workplaces.

This study examines how meanings of caregiving occupations differ between caregivers of children with disabilities with high versus low self-rated psychological well-being. Thirty-nine caregivers completed in-depth interviews about their caregiving and Psychological Well-being Scales. A nonparametric test confirmed that differences in well-being were not associated with income, education, or depressive symptoms. The qualitative analysis revealed one global meaning dimension for caregiving (broadening of self, family, and world) and five situational level meaning dimensions of caregiving (intensity of caregiving, diminished personal control, perspective on caregiving demands, depth of conviction about the value of this life course, and present dwelling). For the global meaning and one dimension (broadening of self and personal control), triangulation between a relevant scale and the qualitatively generated dimension confirmed qualitative findings of differences between the high and low well-being groups. Findings suggest that 75% of caregivers describe frequently challenging caregiving demands. Those with self-rated high well-being construct a more positive view of the meaning of this experience that bolsters their capacity to engage in caregiving work.

The primary aim of this descriptive phenomenological study was to describe the core aspects of living with low vision in later life among older adults (aged 70 years and older) who had not accessed rehabilitation services for low vision. Thirty-four older adults from urban and rural areas participated in a semi-structured qualitative interview and a telephone follow-up. Drawing on an occupational science perspective and using Giorgi and Giorgi's (2003) method of analysis, the essence of the experience of living with low vision was identified as struggling to maintain valued and necessary occupations while dealing with risk. Additional themes included enhanced sense of risk, striving for independence, and shrinking physical and social life spaces. Findings are interpreted in relation to occupational adaptation and environmental influences on occupation, and implications for the role of occupational therapists are discussed.