A Qualitative Exploration of Occupational Adaptation in Caregivers of People with Multiple Sclerosis

Abstract

Due to the unpredictable and progressive nature of multiple sclerosis, the burden of care is placed on the primary caregivers. This study aimed to explore occupational adaptation strategies implemented by primary caregivers to adapt to occupational challenges of caregiving. Seventeen primary caregivers of people with MS were interviewed using purposive sampling techniques. Data were analyzed using content analysis method. Two main categories of strategies were determined: (a) Strategies to alleviate intrapersonal challenges of occupational adaptation; and (b) Strategies to alleviate environmental challenges of occupational adaptation. These included various skills and solutions that aided primary caregivers' adaptation toward occupational challenges. Based on the results of this study, occupational adaptation is a means of achieving mastery in alleviating occupational challenges to cope with adverse circumstances. The results of this study can be used to help therapists design appropriate caregiver-focused interventions, ultimately improving caregiver performance.

Keywords:

• Occupational adaptation
• caregiver
• multiple sclerosis
• qualitative study

Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge all the participants in this research who agreed to participate in this study and honestly provided their valuable experiences. Also, our thanks go to the Iran University of Medical Sciences for their official support and those who cooperated with the research project.

Disclosure statement

The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.

Authors' contributions

All authors contributed to this project and article equally. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Redacted for review in the manuscript

• This study was approved by the Research Ethical Committee Iran of the University of Medical Science (IR.IUMS.REC.1397.742).

• All participants were Persians and their religion was Islam. Because Iran has a homogenous population. The population of immigrants and people with religious other than Islam is very small.