An occupational perspective on the interplay between adolescents’ spirituality and occupational engagement

Abstract

Background: Religion, spirituality, and occupational engagement are inter-related and relevant to the health and well-being of adolescents. However, there is a gap in research exploring the interplay between these concepts in youth, and from an occupational perspective. Purpose: To explore how adolescents’ spirituality was reflected in their occupational engagement. Method: A collective case study comprised in-depth interviews, participant observation, and artefacts with five participants over 12 months. Data analysis was approached from an occupational perspective and progressed from within-case to cross-case, utilising two parallel, complementary processes; content analysis of interviews and integrative narrative analyses. Findings: Three themes emerged; “The reason ‘why’: Spirituality informing occupational choices”, “The way ‘how’: Spirituality guiding occupational engagement”, and “‘What’ outcomes? Spirituality fostering identity, engagement, and the strength to carry on”. The findings confirm that adolescent spirituality and occupational engagement are inextricably linked. Adolescents both needed spiritual support for doing and gained spiritual tenacity from doing. Implications: The co-constructive interplay between spirituality and occupational engagement provides an occupational perspective on adolescent development, including aspects such as identity formation, role acquisition, and the contextual influences on occupational choice and engagement.