Meaning in Life for People with Schizophrenia: Does it Include Occupation?

Abstract

The aim of this study was to describe what people with schizophrenia may discern as bringing meaning to their lives, based on the premise that it cannot be taken for granted that occupation would be part of that. A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews was utilized to understand how the informants experienced meaning in life. Based on purposeful sampling in four Swedish supported housing units, 10 informants were recruited. They included five men and five women, aged 36 to 50 years, none of whom had a regular daily occupation. Qualitative content analysis revealed five categories about sources of meaning in their lives: social contacts, engagement in occupations, experiencing health, precious memories, and positive feelings. The categories also appeared to influence each other; engagement in occupations and perceiving health mutually reinforced each other, as did perceiving health and positive feelings. The findings contribute to the knowledge of what may bring meaning to the lives of people diagnosed with schizophrenia and, importantly, strengthen the occupational science assumption that occupation brings meaning to people's lives and promotes health. The findings also suggest that further research is needed to develop greater understanding about the connections between occupation and meaning in occupational science.

Keywords:

• Meaningful occupations
• Social interaction
• Mental health

Acknowledgements

Our sincere thanks to the informants, who shared their experiences, and the managers and staff at the different supported housing units who made this study possible. The study was financed by a grant from the Swedish Research Council.

Notes

1. Phenomenological, in this sense, should not be mixed up with phenomenology as a scientific method of inquiry. In the current context it stands for what is done and experienced, as separate from the macro level of meaning with life.