title: Disability pension and everyday life: a period of transition and subjective aspects of future occupational life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose was to explore and describe the everyday life experiences among people with a disability pension and their expectations for future occupational life.
  
  
  METHODS
  A purposeful sample of 14 men and women were interviewed. Of these, ten people received full-time disability pension and four people were on partial disability pension while working part time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A content analysis approach revealed three themes: strategies for handling a changed life situation, adaptations to remaining functional capacity, and expectations on future occupational life. Initially, leaving the work market entailed a period of emotional discomfort. To help handle this discomfort, structures for participation and performance came to signify a balanced everyday life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The central conclusion drawn is that the informants with full-time disability pension reconciled themselves to their situation, changing their conception of what life on a disability pension means, while those informants who worked part-time saw their future role as that of worker. Thus, being employed constitutes one factor that promotes a future work career. Another factor related to work capacity is the need for balance between paid work and domestic work reported by disability pensioners working part-time. This area could serve as a point of departure for work rehabilitation.
authors: Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Nesoddtangen, Norway. annica.johansson@sunnaas.no
authors: Annica E M
authors: AE
authors: Johansson
authors: Ulla
authors: U
authors: Johansson
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D004644:Emotions; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010415:Pensions