title: Experiences of women with stress-related ill health in a therapeutic gardening program.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stress-related ill health, e.g. burnout, is of great concern worldwide. Effective rehabilitation programs need to be developed and their therapeutic aspects understood.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore and describe how women with stress-related ill health who are on sick leave experience the rehabilitation process in a therapeutic garden and how these experiences connect to their everyday lives.
  
  
  METHODS
  This longitudinal study used methods from grounded theory. Five women completed three semi-structured interviews at three weekly intervals during rehabilitation and one interview three months after. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative approach.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A secure environment facilitated engagement in activities that provided feelings of enjoyment. These experiences inspired participants to add enjoyable activities in their everyday lives, contributing to occupational balance, despite worries of not be able to continue performing enjoyable activities. Implications. Effective rehabilitation programs need to focus on enjoyable activities in a protective environment to support achievement of occupational balance.
authors.affiliation: Karolinska Institutet, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Division of Occupational Therapy. Box 23200, SE-14183 Huddinge, Sweden. therese.eriksson@ki.se
authors.forename: Therese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Westerberg
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jonsson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D051639:Gardening; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D018582:Sick Leave