Occupational therapy students’ perception on mental health recovery: A descriptive qualitative exploration

Abstract

Introduction: In occupational therapy, emphasis is placed on the complex interplay between the client, the occupation and the environment, providing an opportunity for its practitioners to adopt recovery-oriented outcomes in interventions for people with mental health conditions. In this study, we seek to understand occupational therapy undergraduates’ perceptions of recovery for people with mental health conditions. Method: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted at a university in Singapore, which provides a pre-registration occupational therapy programme. Seventeen undergraduates were recruited (year 1, n = 5; year 2, n = 7 and year 3, n = 5). A semi-structured interview guide was used during the interview. Data collection took place from June to August 2022. Results: Using thematic analysis, two macro themes were discerned: the understanding of mental health conditions and the meanings of recovery. Sub-themes were created under each grouping to describe the data. Conclusions: This study explored the perceptions of mental health recovery among occupational therapy undergraduates. Occupational therapy students appeared to be well-aligned with personal and functional recovery perspectives when providing support for people with mental health conditions. However, there seems to be a need to emphasise the more nuanced aspects of delivering care within the culturally diverse setting of Singapore.