Affiliations: Department of Occupational Therapy,
Sør-Trøndelag University College, Trondheim, Norway | SINTEF, Technology and Society, Oslo, Norway
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Lisbeth Kvam, Department of
Occupational Therapy, Sør-Trøndelag University College,
Ranheimsvegen 10, 7004 Trondheim, Norway. Tel.: +47 9924 1349; E-mail:
lisbeth.kvam@hist.no
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to provide knowledge
about participation and change in participation among men and women
experiencing chronic musculoskeletal pain and undergoing multidisciplinary
vocational rehabilitation. PARTICIPANTS: Six women and four men participating in a vocational
rehabilitation intervention. METHOD: Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth
interviews. The participants were encouraged to talk about their experiences
and thoughts regarding participation in different life areas using previous,
present, and future expectations. The analysis performed was constant
comparative and inspired by grounded theory. RESULTS: The core category was identified as "goal-oriented
participation" which represented participation as intentional and situated.
Three categories, "participating as before," "participation constantly
changing," and "participating in work on hold," were used, taking into account
gender-influenced trajectories and understandings of participation before,
during, and after sick leave and rehabilitation. CONCLUSION: The different trajectories of participation seemed to be
gender specific and were connected to broader societal and environmental
factors. These combined aspects seemed to affect values, motivation, and
understanding of important goals while experiencing chronic pain. Examining
goal-oriented participation may add to the understanding of gender differences
in the rehabilitation process and thereby have implications for rehabilitation
interventions.
Keywords: Chronic musculoskeletal pain, International Classification of Functioning (ICF), goals, constructivist perspective, multidisciplinary vocational rehabilitation, domains of life
