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Occupational balance of women with rheumatoid arthritis: a qualitative study
Author(s) -
Stamm Tanja,
Wright Jon,
Machold Klaus,
Sadlo Gaynor,
Smolen Josef
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
musculoskeletal care
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 28
eISSN - 1557-0681
pISSN - 1478-2189
DOI - 10.1002/msc.62
Subject(s) - medicine , balance (ability) , rheumatoid arthritis , confounding , physical therapy , outpatient clinic , occupational disease , quality of life (healthcare) , qualitative research , occupational safety and health , affect (linguistics) , gerontology , environmental health , psychology , nursing , social science , communication , pathology , sociology
Objective: Occupational balance has been shown to be an important factor in maintaining health. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) reduces functional ability and quality of life and may thus reduce occupational balance. The aim of this qualitative pilot study was to explore occupational balance in women who have RA. Methods: Nine women with RA with past, but not current, paid work experience, no other confounding neuro‐motor disease and with disease duration of 0.75–31 years were selected from an Austrian rheumatology outpatient clinic. Age range of the participants was 28–68 years. A semi‐structured interview was conducted with each participant and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed by the constant comparative method from an occupational perspective. Results: Three main categories emerged: (1) The participants experienced a process of change that affected their occupational balance. (2) This new state of occupational balance was characterized by changed levels of involvement in physical, mental, social and rest occupations and by a certain level of unpredictability of symptoms. (3) Overall, the new state of occupational balance was valued differently: positively, indifferently or negatively. Conclusion: RA was found to have a considerable impact on occupational balance. The experience is not invariably seen as negative as previous literature would suggest. Further research should explore the longitudinal dimension of occupational balance in people with RA. Copyright © 2004 Whurr Publishers Ltd.