Facing Challenges during Occupation: Middle Eastern Immigrants' Paths to Occupational Well-Being in Sweden

Abstract

Occupational well-being is a central issue underpinning factors that constitute a good life. This study aimed to explore occupational well-being among Middle Eastern immigrants to Sweden, as reflected in the occupations performed in the context of psychosocial health care. Ten participants experiencing mental health issues, who received occupation-based rehabilitation, were interviewed. Grounded theory methods for data collection and analysis were employed. The core category, being empowered by getting support – a paradoxical pathway to occupational well-being, described the participants' experiences of striving for empowerment and at the same time desiring support. The core category comprised the categories: striving for control, grasping the meaning in occupation, and striving for self-respect. The participants' ambivalence in relation to empowerment and support reflected the realities and truths embedded in both collective and individualist cultural views, which influenced the ways they viewed themselves in relation to their occupational needs and occupational well-being. Moreover, findings indicated that oscillating between different cultural views related to occupational needs might amplify or diminish the participants' experiences of occupational well-being, depending on the type of support received.

Keywords:

• Empowerment
• Culture
• Social inclusion
• Migration

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Middle Eastern participants in occupation-based rehabilitation centers for their participation in the study. The study was funded by Skåne County Council, and Malmö University.

Notes

1. The terms work and workplace are used in the findings since these were used by the participants to describe their occupations in the centers.

2. A “rehabilitation chain” consists of time restricted assessments of the individual's work capacity for and right to benefits in Sweden. Under the “rehabilitation chain”, individuals are assessed at 3 and 6 month intervals to determine their ability to re-enter the work force or continue accessing a sickness benefit (Hagglund, 2010).