title: Occupational balance of women with rheumatoid arthritis: a qualitative study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Occupational balance has been shown to be an important factor in maintaining health. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) reduces functional ability and quality of life and may thus reduce occupational balance. The aim of this qualitative pilot study was to explore occupational balance in women who have RA.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine women with RA with past, but not current, paid work experience, no other confounding neuro-motor disease and with disease duration of 0.75-31 years were selected from an Austrian rheumatology outpatient clinic. Age range of the participants was 28-68 years. A semi-structured interview was conducted with each participant and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed by the constant comparative method from an occupational perspective.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three main categories emerged: (1) The participants experienced a process of change that affected their occupational balance. (2) This new state of occupational balance was characterized by changed levels of involvement in physical, mental, social and rest occupations and by a certain level of unpredictability of symptoms. (3) Overall, the new state of occupational balance was valued differently: positively, indifferently or negatively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RA was found to have a considerable impact on occupational balance. The experience is not invariably seen as negative as previous literature would suggest. Further research should explore the longitudinal dimension of occupational balance in people with RA.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Vienna University, Vienna, Austria. Tanja.Stamm@akh-wein.ac.at
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stamm
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Machold
authors.forename: Gaynor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sadlo
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smolen