Occupational engagement and cognitive functioning among persons with schizophrenia: an explorative study

Abstract

Background: Cognitive functioning may have implications for engagement in daily occupations among people with schizophrenia.

Objectives: This cross-sectional study explores relationships between time use assessed occupational engagement and cognitive functioning among persons with schizophrenia.

Methods: Thirty-nine participants from four mental health care services in Sweden participated. The Profile of Occupational Engagement among persons with Severe mental illness (POES) and a cognitive test battery was used.

Results: Higher attention and psychomotor speed and higher scores in information processing speed, immediate and delayed verbal recall, and immediate and delayed visual recall were significantly correlated with higher scores in occupational engagement. Regression analyzes revealed that information processing speed and delayed visual recall best explained the variance in occupational engagement (R²=0.36).

Conclusions: Cognitive functioning has implications for occupational engagement, and thus the ability to perform daily occupations in a balanced rhythm within various social and physical environments.

Keywords:

• Mental health
• occupational therapy
• cognition
• time use

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the participants who made this study possible and those persons who helped in the data collection process. We would also like to acknowledge Professor Anne Fischer, Division of Occupational Therapy, Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Umeå University, who reviewed the manuscript and provided valuable comments. This work was supported by the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, Finsam, The Medical Faculty at Lund University, and Vårdalinstitutet at Lund University.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working life and Welfare [grant number: 2008-0146] and The Medical Faculty at Lund University.