Effectiveness of attending Occupational Therapy groups on recovery v.2
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Effectiveness of attending Occupational Therapy groups on recovery: mental health service users' perspective.
IRAS ID
176940
Contact name
Catherine Ripley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Hallam University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 31 days
Research summary
The proposed study aims to explore participants’ experiences of attending occupational therapy groups in order to discover what effect these groups have on the recovery of individuals with psychotic disorders. The term ‘psychotic disorder’ encompasses a number of mental health conditions in which a person may experience abnormal thinking or perceptions, or lose touch with reality. The most prevalent of these disorders is schizophrenia.
Occupational Therapists believe that in order for health and wellbeing to be maintained, individuals need to engage in a balanced range of meaningful occupations in everyday life. The term ‘meaningful occupation’ refers to activities that create identity and meaning for people in the areas of self-care, work and leisure. A number of studies have been carried out exploring the effects of engagement in meaningful occupation for individuals with mental illness. However, the majority of these studies have focused on quality of life, motivation or meaning derived from participation, rather than the impact of this engagement on recovery.
Prior research has employed participants in forensic, day-service and outpatient settings. In contrast this study will recruit service users attending an assertive outreach occupational therapy programme. Assertive outreach teams work flexibly and creatively to meet the needs of service users experiencing severe and enduring mental health problems. With schizophrenia listed among the top ten global causes of long-term disability, finding effective ways to promote recovery is of paramount importance.
The researcher will use semi-structured interviews with 6-10 participants in an attempt to gain insight into service users’ perceptions of how occupational therapy groups have affected their recovery. Interviews will last for approximately 1 hour and will be conducted on an NHS site or in participants own homes. The study will be completed by the end of January 2016.REC name
Yorkshire & The Humber - Leeds West Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/YH/0312
Date of REC Opinion
26 Aug 2015
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion