Occupational therapists' perception of the concept of occupational balance

Abstract

Introduction: Occupational balance is one of the concepts used by occupational therapists with no consensus on its definition. Literature demonstrates different perspectives when this concept is applied in practice and in its link to other concepts such as health and well-being. This study aims to explore how the concept of occupational balance is perceived and practised by occupational therapy practitioners.

Method: A qualitative methodology was employed. Fourteen occupational therapists volunteered for the study. Nine occupational therapy practitioners were interviewed individually and five attended a focus group. Thematic analysis was applied to analyze the data.

Results: Six themes were identified as follows: (1) occupational balance: what it is; (2) how occupational balance is formed; (3) occupational balance and well-being (4); subjective and objective representations of occupational balance (5); what disrupts/affects occupational balance; and (6) occupational balance/imbalance and occupational therapy practice.

Conclusions: Both objective and subjective experiences of occupational balance need to be considered in order to make an informed decision in practice. The right occupational balance for each individual should be based on his/her values but with consideration of the principal of no harm to others.

Keywords: Concept development; interviews; meaning; qualitative research; thematic analysis.