Productive activities, mental health and quality of life in disability: exploring the role enhancement and the role strain hypotheses

BMC Psychology, 2019 · DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-018-0276-6 · Published: January 1, 2019

Participation Mental Health Rehabilitation

Simple Explanation

Engagement in activities like paid work, volunteering, or education fulfills basic human needs, essential for mental health and quality of life. These needs include belonging, skill development, and recognition. Role Theory suggests two possibilities: role enhancement, where diverse activities strengthen personal fulfillment, and role strain, where diverse roles cause overload and stress. This study tests these ideas in people with physical disabilities, who face challenges in engaging in productive activities. The aim is to see if overcoming these challenges brings mental health and quality of life benefits.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

1157 men and women with a severe physical disability (spinal cord injury)

Evidence Level

Original Research

Key Findings

1
Total productivity load and paid work load were positively related to mental health and QoL in men.
2
Moderate volunteering engagement improved mental health (both genders) and QoL (women) compared to higher or no engagement.
3
Mental health (men) and QoL (both genders) increased with the number of activities performed, supporting role enhancement. In men, mental health and QoL increased with each additional unpaid activity alongside paid work.

Research Summary

This study explores how engagement in productive activities relates to mental health and quality of life (QoL) for individuals with physical disabilities, testing role enhancement versus role strain hypotheses. The findings show that for men, higher productivity and paid work are linked to better mental health and QoL. Moderate volunteering benefits both genders, and performing more diverse activities enhances mental health and QoL. The study supports vocational rehabilitation but suggests strengthening productive activities beyond paid work may also be beneficial, especially for those facing barriers to labor market participation.

Practical Implications

Vocational Rehabilitation

Reinforce vocational rehabilitation programs to reintegrate persons with disabilities into paid work.

Promote Volunteering

Encourage volunteering, as it provides independent benefits for mental health and QoL, especially given the barriers to paid work.

Gender-Specific Approaches

Consider gender-specific needs and prioritization of productive activities when designing interventions.

Study Limitations

1
Causality between engagement in productive activities and outcomes cannot be inferred.
2
Unmeasured confounders such as acceptance of disability or personality traits may affect results.
3
Generalizability may be limited as the SwiSCI survey is not a census.

Your Feedback

Was this summary helpful?

Back to Participation