Date Presented 04/04/19
This poster describes how individuals living above and below the federal poverty line spend their time engaged in occupation and the meaningfulness associated with this time-use. Results from this study indicate that systematic barriers, such as poverty, may influence how individuals spend their time and the type and amount of meaning associated with their time-use. This information may be used to guide the OT process when working with individuals at varying socioeconomic levels.
Primary Author and Speaker: Ashley Koralewski
Additional Authors and Speakers: Adam Newcomer, Laura Schmelzer
PURPOSE: Individuals inherently seek to spend time participating in occupations that they find meaningful. Additionally, participation in meaningful occupation provides opportunities to develop physically, mentally, and socially. Time-use can be used as a method to measure an individual’s participation in occupation (Eklund, Erlandsson, & Leufstadius, 2010). However, certain populations are subject to barriers that limit or alter opportunities to spend time engaged in meaningful occupation. Environmental and systemic factors, associated with living in poverty, appear to impose barriers to participation in meaningful occupation (Marshall, Lysaught, & Krupa, 2017). These barriers may consequently change the way that individuals in poverty participate in daily occupation and alter the depth and breadth of the meaning they derive from that engagement. Therefore, this study explored how individuals of varying socioeconomic levels spend their time and the type and amount of meaning related to their time-use.
DESIGN: This study is exploratory in nature as it sought to explore the relationship between time-use and meaningful engagement. In order to gather a diverse study sample, participants who were 18 years and older were recruited from community agencies in Northwest Ohio using flyers and social media posts created by the researchers.
METHODS: A total of 109 participants completed the study, which was IRB approved. Data collection tools included a survey adapted from the American Time Use Survey, which measured how participants spent their time within the past 24 hours (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2016) and the Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS). The EMAS measures various aspects of meaning related to participation in occupation and demonstrates good validity and reliability (Eakman, 2012).
RESULTS: Demographic information revealed that participants were mostly female (65%) and over half had a household income of $20,000 or less (52%). Following exclusions, data from 73 participants were used in analysis. Participants were then divided into two groups, those with a household income below the Federal Poverty Line (FPL) (n=41) and those above the FPL (n=32). Spearman’s, pair-wise correlations were utilized to measure a relationship between time-use and engagement in meaningful activities. Correlational analysis uncovered that individuals living above the FPL engaged in a wider variety of meaningful occupations as measured by time-use. Additionally, time-use data for participants living above the FPL positively correlated with ten aspects of meaning identified by the EMAS (r=0.34-0.43, p < .05; r=0.43-0.52, p < .01), whereas time-use data for those below the FPL only correlated with six aspects of meaning (r=0.32–0.39, p < .05; r=0.43-0.44, p < .01). This indicates that individuals above the poverty line engage in occupations that provide them with a different and more diverse representation of meaningfulness when compared to those living below the poverty line.
CONCLUSION: The findings of this study substantiate that poverty can limit participation in the depth and breadth of meaningful occupation. These results also provide insight into the type of occupations that may provide and/or impede meaning for individuals depending on income.
IMPACT STATEMENT: Occupational therapy practitioners understand the inherent benefits of engaging in meaningful occupation. Practitioners strive to provide clients with opportunities to participate in meaningful occupation and need to do so regardless of income. Further exploration into concepts such as occupational deprivation and alienation in relation to this data could be used to modify interventions and/or advocate for programming to support individuals living in poverty.
References
Bureau of Labor Statistics, (2016). American Time Use Survey. United States Department of Labor. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/tus/home.htm
Eakman, A. M. (2012). Measurement characteristics of the Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey in an age-diverse sample. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 66, 20-29. Retrieved from doi:10.5014/ajot.2012.001867
Eklund, M., Erlandsson, L., & Leufstadius, C. (2010). Time-use in relation to valued and satisfying occupations among people with persistent mental illness: Exploring occupational balance. Journal of Occupational Science, 17(4), 231-238. Retrieved from doi:10.1080/14427591.2010.9686700
Marshall, C.A., Lysaught, R., & Krupa, T. (2017). The experience of occupational engagement of chronically homeless persons in a mid-sized urban context. Journal of Occupational Science, 24(2), 165-180. Retrieved from doi: 10.1080/14427591.2016.1277548
