Toward Control Over Time—Participants’ Experiences of Attending the Group Intervention Let’s Get Organized (LGO)

PURPOSE: Difficulties related to time management and organization and planning are common among clients with neurodevelopmental or mental disorders, which have great impact on daily living and are therefore often subject to intervention. Common interventions are prescriptions of adapted time management aids in combination with individually tailored strategies. The evidence for these interventions is moderate and they need to be complemented with skills training to be more effective.

“Let’s Get Organized” (LGO) is a manual-based group intervention developed in the US with the aim to improve time management and organizational skills. The method was recently adapted to persons with mental or neurodevelopmental disorders and translated into Swedish. The LGO was recently evaluated in a pilot study showing promising results (Holmefur, Holmqvist, Roshanay, Arvidsson, White & Janeslätt, In Press). To understand the mechanisms behind these results it is important to study the participants’ experiences of the intervention and how they perceived any differences in their daily life. Such knowledge can contribute to further development of the LGO, and to identify important components to improve rehabilitation of poor time management skills in general. Therefore, the aim of the study was to describe the experiences and meaning of attending the LGO intervention.

DESIGN AND METHODS: The study had a descriptive design using interview data. Participants were recruited from five outpatient clinics, three psychiatric clinics and two adult habilitation services in Sweden. Twelve participants were interviewed in semi-structured interviews four months after finishing the LGO. Seven women and five men participated (mean age 41 years, range 29-63 years), the majority had one or more neurodevelopmental disorders.

A qualitative content analysis (Granheim & Lundman, 2004) of the interview transcripts was conducted. After repeated reading and memo writing, meaning units were identified, condensed and labeled with a code. After coding, authors discussed possible categorizations and the first author made a tentative categorization, supported by memos and meaning units to ensure probable interpretation of data. After renewed discussion and minor adjustments all authors agreed on a final categorization and a descriptive theme was formulated.

RESULTS: The participants’ experiences was characterized by a process from understanding one’s own difficulties in relation to time management to perceived changes in daily life. The overarching theme was A roller coaster process toward control over time in daily life where success and setbacks where mixed.

Four underlying main categories described this process where the two first main categories describe what happens during the intervention sessions; 1) Understanding why and knowing how – a prerequisite for change, 2) A facilitating learning environment. The two latter describe the work with changes in daily life during and after the intervention; 3) Struggle with managing time in daily life, and 4) Being in control - Perceived outcomes of improved time management in daily life. Each main-category had 2-3 sub categories describing their content.

CONCLUSION: To conclude, clients with mental or neurodevelopmental disorders experienced that LGO, with its structured training of time management skills, had a positive impact on functioning and well-being in their daily life. Most participants described outcomes such as getting more things done, increased control and safety as meaningful. It is important to have effective OT interventions addressing time management, and the LGO contributes to OT practice with a manual-based intervention that the clients experience as bringing meaningful and positive changes to daily life.

References

Holmefur, M., Holmqvist, L. K., Roshanahy H.A., Arvidsson, P., White, S. & Janeslätt, G. (In Press). Pilot study of “Let’s Get Organized ” - a group intervention for improving time management. Accepted for publication in American Journal of Occupational Therapy.

Graneheim, U. H., & Lundman, B. (2004). Qualitative content analysis in nursing research: concepts, procedures and measures to achieve trustworthiness. Nurse education today, 24(2), 105-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2003.10.001