Occupational Therapy

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Browsing Occupational Therapy by Subject "Abuse of substances -- Zimbabwe"

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    Interpretive phenomenology on the meaning of substance use to Zimbabwean men with substance related disorders in recovery
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2023-03) Mataswa, Enesia Zvikomborero; Van Niekerk, Lana; Chikwanha, Theodora Mildred; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. Occupational Therapy.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY: Background: Substance use is an authentic part of the lived world of persons with substance related disorders. In Zimbabwe, reports indicate substance abuse to be rife, particularly amongst men. As many as 80% of persons with substance related disorders who were treated at mental health institutions in Zimbabwe between 2017-2019 relapsed within their first year of recovery. Although achieving sustained sobriety seems possible, the process of recovery is subjective and strategies used are contested. Substance use is a considerably under-researched phenomenon in the occupational therapy profession, particularly in Zimbabwe. Given that substance use constitutes engagement in occupation and that this phenomenon was yet to be explicitly explored, an occupational perspective was deemed necessary. Aim and objectives: The aim of this study was to explore how men with substance related disorders experience and make sense of substance use when in recovery. The study objectives were to explore how substance-use emerged as an occupation, how participants interpreted or made sense of substance-use experiences and how substance-use shaped participant’s identity and sense of belonging. Methods: Interpretive phenomenology was used to explore participants’ lived experiences of substance-use and the meaning they attributed to their experiences. Criterion sampling was used to purposively select persons with substance related disorders, admitted at a private mental health center in Zimbabwe. Three men with substance related disorders who were in recovery participated in this study. Data were collected by means of initial and subsequent follow up in-depth interviews. An inductive and iterative case-by-case analysis was used as means to respect individual idiosyncrasy. Findings: Two themes emerged. Theme 1, Getting “more” than I bargained for, was presented to illuminate nuances expressed under three sub-themes, namely what it’s like to use, what I get out of it and what I have lost. Theme 2, A shifting identity, was presented with four sub-themes, namely the unwanted self, projective identification, becoming the wanted self and being stuck. Theme 1 was presented in Section B and discussed, Theme 2 was presented in Section C as additional findings and will be discussed in the future. Conclusion: Reflection on negative consequences of substance-use might shift motivation towards sobriety, however, continuing use and stopping use both present losses. Exploring how people interpret their experiences of unhealthy occupations provided a dualistic way of looking at recovery. Honouring humanistic values, client-centredness and practicing critical consciousness are essential considerations in services to support recovery.