Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/1988
Title: Coping with chronic illness and disability through creative needlecraft
Authors: Reynolds, F
Issue Date: 1997
Publisher: College of Occupational Therapists
Citation: Reynolds, F. (1997) Coping with chronic illness and disability through creative needlecraft. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 60 (8), 352-356
Abstract: Chronic illness and impairment commonly restrict the individual's access to work and leisure activities. Furthermore, if increasingly dependent upon family care, the individual may experience loss of valued roles and self- esteem. A qualitative study was carried out on the written narratives of 35 women, aged 18 to 87 years. All had acquired a disability or chronic illness in adulthood, and although facing different health problems, they shared needlecraft as a common leisure pursuit. The narratives explored the circumstances in which needlecraft had been adopted as a leisure pursuit, and the personal benefits experienced. Most of the women had taken up this activity in adulthood to cope with the crisis of illness. Needlework activities were commonly viewed as providing a means of managing pain, unstructured time, self-image and reciprocal social roles. The women's accounts confirm the value of creative activity for patients learning to cope with chronic conditions.
URI: http://bura.brunel.ac.uk/handle/2438/1988
ISSN: 0308-0226
1477-6006
Appears in Collections:Community Health and Public Health
Dept of Health Sciences Research Papers

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