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Occupational experiences and their importance for young peoples' mental health
Ingvill Sørensen Drevland1, Mona Asbjørnslett1, Unni Sveen1,2
1Department of Rehabilitation Science and Health Technology, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway.
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.
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