Occupational therapy views from diverse cultural perspectives

Background: Taking into consideration the diversity of the global world, incorporating different worldviews would be a valuable contribution to expanding the relevance of occupational therapy. The aim of this research was to... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
Taking into consideration the diversity of the global world, incorporating different worldviews would be a valuable contribution to expanding the relevance of occupational therapy. The aim of this research was to analyse worldviews regarding human occupation and the link between occupation, health, and well-being among people from rural Honduras, Morocco, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, and Ecuador.

Method:
This ethnographic research used three methods, i.e. semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and in-depth interviews, to collect data from 27 participants in five countries. The material was analysed using a Grounded Theory approach.

Results:
A total of one core category, three categories and six subcategories emerged from the analysis. The core category, “Occupations are social practices”, comprised three categories: Occupation, health and well-being as a personal and community experience; Co-occupations, collective occupations and collaborative occupations are the most important occupations; and Occupation, health and well-being mutually influence each other.

Conclusion:
The overall findings showed a tentative theoretical structure based on the understanding of occupation as social practice. Related with it, the context determines the practice in social interaction, the rules and the meanings of occupations. Thus, this understanding of occupation and its influence on health and well-being invites occupational therapists to not only be aware of the main aspects related to particular contexts, but to promote critical thinking regarding the culture of occupational therapy.


Application to Practice:
A complementary view of occupation, health and well-being, integrating individual and collective views, could enhance and expand the relevance of occupational therapy around the world.