Magister Scientiae (Occupational Therapy) - MSc(OT) / The growing phenomenon of drug abuse has alerted the attention of health professionals, addiction counsellors, school educators, the media and community members. Susceptible sub groups of the population such as adolescents have been seriously affected as addiction destroys their identities, health, daily performance, family structure and ultimately results in social disintegration. Consequently, rehabilitation facilities have been established and addicts are entering the treatment system via referrals from school principals, the judiciary court or desperate parents and family members. Despite this, after having spent a reasonable amount of time and money in rehabilitation centres, relapse rates are significantly high and addicts are returning to treatment. The question was then raised as to whether recurrent relapses were as a result of their occupational needs not being met in treatment. To understand whether the occupational needs of these recovering adolescents are met, a true client-centred approach was employed. A descriptive approach was used within a qualitative research paradigm. The participants that were selected from four drug rehabilitation facilities in the Cape Town Metropolis, included 8 recovering drug addicted adolescents, 2 rehabilitation workers employed at two different facilities, and a sum of 26 parents of recovering addicts. Purposeful sampling was used for the adolescents and rehabilitation workers while convenient sampling was used for the parents. To access the perspectives and perceptions of the participants the researcher used individual semi-structured interviews for the recovering adolescents and drug rehabilitation workers, and focus groups for the parents. The data was analysed thematically using Lincoln & Guba’s (1985) method of qualitative data analysis. All data was managed manually. The objectives of the study explored perceptions of drug addicted adolescents with regard to relapse, to describe the barriers with regard to drug rehabilitation and their occupational needs, to reveal facilitators with reference to the recovery process, and to present suitable strategies which may improve drug treatment practice. Three themes were constructed based on the findings of the study. The themes were: 1) easy to get in, difficult to get out, 2) breakdown on life caused by drug addiction, and 3) moving forward towards recovery. Since adolescence is known as a transitional period characterised by identity development, adolescents are naturally influenced by their social and physical environment, particularly their peer groups at school and in the community. Consequently, adolescents enter treatment with numerous physical, psychological, social, intrapersonal, and legal needs. The constant pursuit of drugs and its lifestyle leads to dysfunction and imbalance in the individual’s daily performances with relapse remaining a common element in the recovery process. The lack of knowledge from participants pertaining to the concept of relapse was perceived as a barrier to recovery. The physical and social environment such as the general availability and accessibility of drugs in adolescent’s community, the unfavourable influence that peers and family relationships play, organisational challenges such as staff handling principles regarding their developmental stage and ineffective communication within the rehabilitation centre, and personal barriers including manipulative and behavioural difficulties, emerged as contra-indicative to the recovery process. Many of the recovering drug addicted adolescents were unable to cope with the array of needs and triggers, and found themselves relapsing and returning to the rehabilitation facility. Among the many facilitators as perceived by the participants, the actual programme at the rehabilitation centre was significant in promoting progress. If it included education groups, where clients are taught about substance abuse, relapse and how to restructure their lifestyle of recovery, it was deemed as beneficial. Another facilitator highlighted by the participants was the involvement of family by incorporating parent support sessions, and an interesting factor suc Recommendations for the study included that adolescents who abuse substances need to be treated very differently to adults or children, and that maintaining communication or a connection with them via aftercare for example, will enable them to sustain their sobriety outside of the rehabilitation facility. Since addiction affects the individual’s identity, roles, and habits on an occupational performance level it is paramount that treatment should be addressed from an occupation-based perspective in collaboration with existing evidence-based addiction models. Occupational therapists are uniquely equipped to deal with these components. h as including spirituality as a resource was raised as valuable in their recovery process.

La tesi si propone di studiare i processi che hanno contribuito allo sviluppo dei sistemi previsionali dei futuri fabbisogni professionali in Italia e nel contesto internazionale. La ricerca si focalizza sui differenti approcci utilizzati nelle analisi previsive approfondendo in particolare le metodologie adottate dai seguenti istituti: BLS (Bureau Labor of Statistics - Stati Uniti); CEDEFOP (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training); ISFOL (Istituto per lo sviluppo della formazione professionale dei lavoratori). Studiare l’andamento e l’evoluzione del mercato del lavoro, in termini di rilevazione dei fabbisogni professionali, significa realizzare un’analisi complessa, seppure di ampia utilità, che si appresta a essere riletta in chiave sociologica ponendo l’attenzione sui processi di definizione e rappresentazione del mercato del lavoro e del suo rapporto con la società. Il quadro interpretativo che guida la ricerca mette in luce tre dimensioni attraverso cui sono state intraprese diverse misure per implementare i sistemi previsionali sul piano funzionale, meta-funzionale e metodologico. La tesi approfondisce inoltre come l’analisi dei fabbisogni professionali possa rappresentare una delle premesse di lettura delle dinamiche del mercato del lavoro al fine di rendere più efficiente l’incontro tra domanda e offerta e di sviluppare un efficace sistema di formazione professionale e di istruzione finalizzato a garantire maggiore occupabilità, ad affrontare le politiche del lavoro e a gestire le relazioni industriali. / The thesis aims to study the processes that have contributed to the development of the employment forecasting systems adopted in the Italian experience in comparison with the international context. The research focuses on different approaches to the methodologies carried out by the following institutions: BLS (Bureau Labor of Statistics, USA); CEDEFOP (European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training) and ISFOL (Italian Institute for the Development of Vocational Training for Workers). Studying the evolution of the labour market, in terms of analysis of occupational needs, requires a complex process of analysis which can be interpreted from a sociological perspective with regard to the definition and representation processes of the labour market and its relationship to society. The interpretative framework that guides the research highlights three dimensions through which employment forecasting systems have been realized: the functional dimension, the meta-functional dimension and the methodological dimension. The research also reflects on how an analysis of occupational needs can represent one of the premises of understanding of the dynamics of the labour market in order to bring about more efficient matching between labour demand and supply and to develop an effective vocational and educational training system aimed at guaranteeing more employability, in order to address labour policies and manage industrial relations effectively.