Social interaction, occupational engagement, and related factors among older mental health service users with severe mental illness – an explorative cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Although research shows that social interaction is related to occupational engagement among adults with mental illness of all ages, this relationship is underexplored among older mental health service users. Factors suggested as relevant for such relationships are, for example, social network characteristics, anxiety/depression, physical problems, and gender. AIM: This study aimed to explore how people aging with a mental illness, diagnosed at a younger age, perceived social interaction and its relationship with occupational engagement. Additionally, it addresses the influence of perceived symptoms of anxiety/depression, perceived physical problems, and gender. MATERIALS/METHODS: An explorative quantitative cross-sectional study was performed with forty-nine mental health service users at retirement age. Self-report questionnaires regarding occupational engagement, social interaction, perceived symptoms of anxiety/depression, and a background questionnaire including questions on physical problems were used. Data was analyzed using conventional statistical analyses, including Pearson correlations and linear regression analysis. RESULTS: Most participants reported having a friend. However, the results showed that participants’ networks were primarily relying on family for emotional support. Social interaction, anxiety/depression, physical problems, and gender accounted for 21% of the variation in occupational engagement, with anxiety/depression being the only significant variable. No significant gender differences in social interaction or network size were found. For women, perceived anxiety/depression and social interaction were significantly correlated with occupational engagement. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Despite regular access to a social network through activity-based mental health services, the participants had small social networks that lacked diversity. Perceived symptoms of anxiety and depression were negatively related to occupational engagement, and social and emotional factors appeared to impact women’s occupational engagement more than men’s.