This study sought to understand activity choices of older adults when they were depressed and in the early stages of recovery. Qualitative analysis was used to identify themes of activities continued, stopped, resumed, and newly begun. Participants (n=27) were recruited from a randomized clinical trial (R37 MH43832) and were community dwelling, predominantly female, with a mean age of 73.3 years. One interview was conducted with each participant in recovery for at least 3 but no longer than 7 months, using a semi-structured interview.
When depressed, participants continued some activities and stopped others. Activities were continued when they were part of an established habit or commitment, gratifying, a means of distraction or escape, and/or an attempt to hide depression from others. Participants continued activities when they were nudged by another person and/or felt a sense of pushing oneself to maintain normalcy. Participants stopped some activities when they were no longer meaningful and/ or were too physically painful to complete. Some activities were stopped when participants had insufficient physical/cognitive energy or did not wish to expend their limited reserve, avoided negativity, and/or constricted their social space.
In recovery, the majority of activities in which participants engaged when they were depressed were continued spontaneously. Some, however, were stopped when no longer meaningful or necessary, and/or when participants activity level increased substantially, limiting available time. Participants resumed most activities when activities were again meaningful, physical and/or cognitive energy returned, pain complaints diminished, health promotion was desired, and/or when participants were able to confront negative situations, and/or enlarge their social space. Some activities, however, were not resumed when participants actively weighed activity options and chose to divert time and energy to higher priorities. Some participants engaged in new activities not done prior to or during depression when positive self-change opened up opportunities for engagement or participants undertook efforts to reorganize their lives.
In conclusion, adaptive strategies were brought into play at various time points as participants selected activities to continue, stop, resume, and newly begin as they strove to survive the depressive episode and, then, re-enter and participate in their former lives in recovery.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PITT/oai:PITTETD:etd-04212010-102029 |
| Date | 20 May 2010 |
| Creators | Leibold, Mary Louise |
| Contributors | Margo B. Holm, PhD, OTR/L, Charles F. Reynolds, III, MD, Ketki D. Raina, PhD, OTR/L, Elizabeth R. Skidmore, PhD, OTR/L, Joan C. Rogers, PhD, OTR/L, |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh |
| Source Sets | University of Pittsburgh |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | http://etd.library.pitt.edu/ETD/available/etd-04212010-102029/ |
| Rights | restricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to University of Pittsburgh or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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