Occupations, goals, and OT intervention for those who are homeless

Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) work with people who experience homelessness and provide interventions to address occupational performance and engagement. In a mixed-methods pilot study, Marshall and colleagues (2019) explored how boredom among members of this population impacted mental health and social well-being. A small sample of mostly men living in a shelter engaged in semi-structured interviews and six standardized assessments addressing meaningful activity, boredom, mental well-being, alcohol use, drug abuse, and community integration. Quantitative statistical analysis produced significant correlations between self-reports of boredom, poor mental health, drug use, and community integration and engagement. Researchers’ coding and trustworthy measures for qualitative data analysis resulted in the following qualitative themes and sub-themes: