The purpose of this study has been to examine if the participation within a social psychiatric day care is to be helpful for the participants. The aim was to find out if the day care has been helpful, what kind of support has been helpful and what have the participants been helped with. This has been researched from the participators view by conducting qualitative interviews. The data was analyzed by using thematic analysis. Antonovsky’s theory, Sense of Coherence was used as theoretical instrument to understand the collection of data. The main findings of this study indicate that occupations aimed for social purpose is important for the participators. In the study social support and the social interaction between staff and other participators appears to be the most important findings. Another important finding was the lack of research within the field of studies regarding social occupations such as day care.

<p>Background: There has been a process of de-institutionalisation and mental health care re-forms in Sweden. Social services are, according to the law, responsible for helping persons with mental illness to live a life like others and to participate in the community. The aim of the study was to describe the culture in one of the social services adult day care center for social relations and activities in Stockholm. The aim was also to focus on the importance of the adult day care center for recovery and empowerment from the participants´ perspective. Methods Observations in the adult day care center were combined with four interviews with regular participants. Findings The culture could be described as a jovial "non-family" where the professionals had a parenting position and the participants could be seen as adult family members. Although the "non-family" could offer protection, safety and possibilities for re¬covery and empowerment, the study showed that there is a lack of opportunities for recovery and empowerment. Implications The possibility for people with mental illness to live like others and participate in the community is limited to a parallel participation and the question is if and how an interactive participation can be achieved.</p>

Background: There has been a process of de-institutionalisation and mental health care re-forms in Sweden. Social services are, according to the law, responsible for helping persons with mental illness to live a life like others and to participate in the community. The aim of the study was to describe the culture in one of the social services adult day care center for social relations and activities in Stockholm. The aim was also to focus on the importance of the adult day care center for recovery and empowerment from the participants´ perspective. Methods Observations in the adult day care center were combined with four interviews with regular participants. Findings The culture could be described as a jovial "non-family" where the professionals had a parenting position and the participants could be seen as adult family members. Although the "non-family" could offer protection, safety and possibilities for re¬covery and empowerment, the study showed that there is a lack of opportunities for recovery and empowerment. Implications The possibility for people with mental illness to live like others and participate in the community is limited to a parallel participation and the question is if and how an interactive participation can be achieved.

Bakgrund: Den vanligaste anledningen att personer med psykiatriska funktionshinder lämnar hemmet är för att besöka en dagverksamhet. Samtidigt kritiseras dagverksamheter för att vara stigmatiserande. Forskning inom området återger en i stora drag homogen bild av dagverksamheters betydelse för individen där positiva aspekter lyfts fram. Emellertid återfinns kontrasterande bilder där dessa verksamheter kan tänkas påverka besökarna negativt. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att utifrån tidigare forskning ge kunskap om vad dagverksamheter för personer med psykiatriska funktionshinder betyder för dess besökare. Vi ämnar kartlägga kunskapsläget samt med efterföljande analys skapa en djupare förståelse för dagverksamheters betydelse för individen. Metod och teori: Studien är i form av en allmän litteraturstudie där tolv utvalda artiklar utgör empirin. För att förstå betydelsen av dagverksamheter har vi satt ihop ett teoretiskt ramverk av stigma, självstigma och empowerment. Resultat:Studien utmynnar i tre huvudteman: betydelsen av dagverksamheten som socialt sammanhang, betydelsen av dagverksamheten som sysselsättning, olika aspekter av dagverksamhetens betydelse för måendet. Slutsatser: Vi fann att dagverksamheter är av stor vikt för besökarna genom att erbjuda en trygg plats för social gemenskap, en del i ett socialt sammanhang, erbjuda meningsfull sysselsättning och en motivation till att lämna hemmet. Vi ser i resultatet att målgruppen har svårt att ta sig in på arbetsmarknaden. Det är därför viktigt att dagverksamheter finns så besökarna kan komma dit och delta i olika typer av aktiviteter, samt för att ge vardagen en struktur. En annan slutsats är att i de positiva aspekter som lyfts i empirin kan vi skönja problematiska sidor av dagverksamhetens betydelse, även i det som framhävs som positivt. Detta kan röra sig om slutenheten som präglar dessa institutioner, deltagarnas beroende av dagverksamheterna samt verksamheternas svårigheter att vara en brygga till nya utvecklingsmöjligheter. / Title: Left out together? A general literature study on the meaning of daycare centers to individuals with psychiatric disabilities. Background: The most common reason why people with psychiatric disabilities leave home is to visit a daycare center. At the same time, daycare centers are criticized for being stigmatizing. The research in the area provides a fairly homogeneous picture of what daycare centers mean to the individual where positive aspects are highlighted. However, contrasting images are found in which daycare centers may have a negative impact on its visitors. Aim: The aim of this study is to provide knowledge of what daycare centers for people with psychiatric disabilities mean to their visitors based on previous research. We intend to map the state of knowledge and, with subsequent anlays, create a deeper understanding of what daycare centers mean for the individual. Method and theory: This study is a general literature study in which twelve selected articles constitute the empiric. To understand the meaning of daycare centers, we have put together a theoretical framework of stigma, self-stigma and empowerment. Findings: The study generates three main themes: the meaning of daycare centers as a social context, the meaning of daycare centers as occupation, different aspects of what daycare centers mean for well-being. Conclusion: We found that daycare centers are of great importance to visitors in providing a safe place for social community, part of a social context, offering meaningful occupation and a motivation to leave home. We see in the result that the target group has difficulty in entering the labor market. It is therefore important that daycare centers exist so that visitors can come there and participate in different types of activities, as well as to provide structure to everyday life . Another conclusion is that in the positive aspects highlighted in the empiricism, we can discern problematic aspects of the importance of daycare centers, even in what is emphasized as positive. This may concern the introversion that characterizes these institutions, the participants' dependence on daycare centers and the difficulties of the centers to be a bridge to new development opportunities.