Browsing by Author "Cripps, Douglas"

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Open Access
An Exploration of Leisure Innovation in the Self-Management of Co-Morbidities in Older Adults
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2016-07) Osinike, Chidinma Ihunanya; Genoe, Rebecca; Cripps, Douglas; Liechty, Toni
Leisure has been shown to be relevant in coping with, adjusting to and adapting to negative life events such as chronic illness (Kleiber & Hutchinson, 2010) and therefore, it may play an important role in accomplishing the tasks of self-management. However, disability resulting from chronic illness can limit leisure participation. Innovation theory of successful aging may provide insight into leisure among older adults living with chronic conditions. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of leisure innovation among older adults living with more than one chronic illness. A hermeneutic phenomenological design was used to explore leisure innovation experiences in the self-management of co-morbidities. Six older adults, including four men and two women between 68 and 86 participated in in-depth interviews and a follow-up focus group. Field notes and reflexivity were recorded throughout the research process to document thoughts and emotions about the contents and process of the study. The analysis allowed for emergence of themes. The participants engaged in self-management protocols such as taking medications, eating healthy, and appointments with their physicians. They reported stress from living with co-morbidities such as changed lives, reduced physical activity and experiencing pain. The participants engaged in self-preservation and self-restoration leisure activities. External and internal factors triggered their choice of leisure activities. They reported benefits of engaging in leisure innovation such as improved health, social support emotional well-being, satisfaction and rest. However, they limited their leisure activities due to pain and reduced strength and energy. Finally, they were able to cope better with their co-morbidities through adjusting to chronic conditions, processing emotions, meaning making and integrating illness into daily life. The findings of this study have implications for practice and research. For example, health professionals could encourage older adults to adopt new activities that could help them manage co-morbidities. Researchers could also consider length of time since diagnosis and compare older adults who have been newly diagnosed to those who have been diagnosed for several years. This may give insight on differences in their leisure experiences and how their symptoms interfered with their leisure innovation and self-management of their co-morbidities.
Open Access
The Influence of Hardiness Levels on the Rate of Return to Work For Those who Have Sustained a Back Injury
(Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, University of Regina, 2014-09) Anderson, Noah Justin; Malloy, David; Cripps, Douglas; Martin, Ronald; Tucker, Sean
Existentialists suggest that our responsibility is to discover our own meaning in life which can be recognized through creative works, experiences and relationships, and attitudinal acknowledgement and/or choice of one’s current circumstances (Frankl, 2006). It is through the will to meaning, the primary motivational drive noted by Frankl, that humans are able to transcend and live a fulfilled life despite perceptions of unavoidable sufferings. Therefore, existential courage/hardiness helps one to engage in coping with problems rather than denying or avoiding them. Furthermore, it also relies on socially supportive interactions with others and the capacity to learn from this perpetual process (Maddi, Khoshaba, Harvey, Fazel, & Resurreccion, 2011), which can have a profound influence on one’s overall health status. In times of suffering, such as a debilitating physical injury or illness, the concept of hardiness could potentially be used to facilitate recovery or coping for those individuals. The current practice of rehabilitation for those who are not working due to work-related injury or illness, is a combination of physiological and psychosocial therapy (i.e., physical therapy, occupational therapy, and psychological therapy) (Saskatchewan Workers’ Compensation Board, 2013). In the review of the research in this thesis, the researcher was unable to find other studies that explored hardiness in a therapeutic context. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between hardiness and the rate of recovery and return to work. Specifically, this study investigated those who had a back injury and an accepted Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) claim in Saskatchewan. WCB provided several hundred contact names to be used as prospective participants for this study. The first hypothesis, which predicted a significant negative correlation between hardiness and return to work, revealed no statistically significant relationship (r = .002, p = .98, n = 127). Contrary to expectations, the second hypothesis, which measured the influence of hardiness on the rate of return to work after accounting for demographical variables, resulted in hardiness score not being statistically significant predictor; F(1, 74) = .55, p = .46. There were, however, statistically significant differences found in supplementary analyses.