Occupational experiences and their importance for young peoples' mental health.

BACKGROUND: Young peoples' mental health challenges have increased in recent years to become an urgent public health issue. Research is required to gain a better understanding of how occupations influence young peoples' everyday lives and support their mental health. AIM: How do young people experience engaging in various occupations in their daily lives, and how do these experiences shape their mental health? METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Norwegian young people aged 13-16 years. Verbatim transcriptions of the interviews were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Four core themes emerged: 'doing' for balance and stability; self-discovery through doing; intentional doing to recharge and feel free; and reflecting on the consequences of doing social media. CONCLUSIONS: Young peoples' occupational experiences shape their mental health in several ways: they serve as coping strategies, as a means to experience joy and accomplishment, and as a source of routines and opportunities for relaxation. We suggest that health-promoting initiatives for young people would strongly benefit from the inclusion of an occupational perspective.

"Being Holistic Is a Lot to Ask": A Qualitative, Cross-National Exploration of Occupational Therapists' Perceptions and Experiences of Holistic Practice.

Being holistic is often used by occupational therapists to describe their practice and philosophy worldwide. This study explores the perspectives of 33 occupational therapists, working in 13 different countries, on their understanding of holistic epistemology and practice and how they seek to incorporate holism in their work. On the basis of a qualitative study design, individual interviews were conducted with the participants by 18 Norwegian undergraduate occupational therapy students, supported by their supervisors. The authors subsequently analyzed the transcribed data, using a thematic analysis approach. Three principal themes emerged: (1) holism as a broad and narrow concept, (2) being holistic spans from treating body parts to teaching marginalized children, and (3) being holistic is a lot to ask. When talking about holism and holistic practice, participants described their holistic practices in various ways, and their accounts reflected different understandings and cultural contexts. Participants characterized a holistic approach as one emphasizing the importance of occupations and activities and helping patients regain independence in their everyday lives. However, they also highlighted the specific challenges they faced, including cultural factors and inadequate resources. Significantly, participants from both Western and non-Western contexts emphasized the importance of holistic practice, suggesting that a dichotomous understanding of Eastern versus Western philosophical approaches does not necessarily make sense in occupational therapy interventions. Therapists' degree of commitment to client-centered practice appears of greater relevance. With its international perspective, our study sheds light on important areas of contemporary occupational therapy practice, including the difficulties occupational therapists face when seeking to cover "everything" in an effort to be more holistic.

Participation at school as experienced by teenagers with physical disabilities.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the experiences that teenagers with physical disabilities have of their participation at school. Fourteen students from several locations in Norway aged between 13 and 18 years took part. Data were collected through focus-group interviews and individual interviews. The analysis revealed three main themes: Just like the others-but not quite; Participation in terms of being where things actually happen and; Participation as student-teacher cooperation. A major finding was the importance the students put on being where things actually happen, this being regarded as being even more important than doing the same activities as the other students. Opportunities to increase cooperation by holding short meetings with teachers on how to solve both practical and learning problems promoted participation. The need to include the individual's experience in the concept of participation is discussed.