Carita Håkansson
Biographic Data
| ID | 192990 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Carita Håkansson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Carita |
| FAMILY NAME | Håkansson |
| SIGNATURE | HÅKANSSON C |
| AFFILIATIONS | Lund University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-3660-3079 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 31 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 35 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 31 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2006 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Perceived Positive or Negative Changes in the Work Situation
The aim of the study is to explore associations between perceived positive or negative changes in the work situation during the past 12 months and principals’ intentions to leave their workplace within the next two years. A mixed-methods approach was applied. The quantitative data show that it was more common to report having perceived negative changes in the work situation among principals who also expressed having had intentions to leave the wo…
Translation, cultural adaption and content validity evaluation of the Occupational Balance Questionnaire into German—a cross-sectional study in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland
Background: Extending the concept of work-life balance and recognising that many people's lives cannot easily be divided into work and non-work life, Occupational Balance enables the exploration of a person's satisfaction with the balance and variance of occupations in daily life at most contemporary levels. Objective: To effectively measure Occupational Balance in the German-speaking population, this study developed a German version of the Occup…
Understanding avoidance of medical surveillance for hand-arm vibrations in Sweden
Introduction: Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) is a chronic disease to vessels and nerves caused by vibrations. In Sweden, the medical check-up for vibrations (MCV) implements the EU surveillance system to detect early cases. No earlier research has shown participation in MCVs, nor why MCVs is avoided. We aimed to improve the understanding on avoidance of MCVs among vibration-exposed workers. Methods: We used a mixed method. Participation was e…
Organisational and social work environment factors and occupational balance as predictors of work and life satisfaction among Swedish principals who are also parents to small children
Supportive organisational structures that clearly define authority and areas of responsibility, and few role conflicts appear to be important for reporting higher work satisfaction among Swedish principals with small children. In addition, high occupational balance and supportive organisational structures that clearly define authority and areas of responsibility also appear to be important for reporting higher life satisfaction. These results sug…
A Comparison of the Self-Perceived Organisational and Social Work Environment among Swedish Occupational Therapists in Different Job Sectors
Sick leave due to mental health problems is increasing, and there is evidence that it is associated with the individual's self-perceived organisational and social work environment. The aim of this study was to compare occupational therapists' self-perceived organisational and social work environments in different job sectors. The goal is to identify the sectors with the most unfavourable work environment and thus where the need to improve the wor…
School Principals’ Work Participation in an Extended Working Life—Are They Able to, and Do They Want to? A Quantitative Study of the Work Situation
The objective of this study is to increase the knowledge regarding school principals' work situations by examining the associations between various factors and the school principals' assessments of their ability or wish to work until 65 years of age or longer. The 1356 participating school principals in this study were aged between 50 and 64 years of age. Individual and work factors were evaluated in relation to two dichotomized outcomes: i.e., c…
Exploring occupations and well-being before and during the Covid-19 pandemic in adults with and without inflammatory arthritis
To decrease the spread of the COVID-19 virus, public health officials in British Columbia, Canada ordered large-scale physical distancing requirements, leading to school and business closures, banning of large gatherings, and travel restrictions. These requirements shifted people’s occupational repertoires, with vulnerable populations (e.g., those with chronic health conditions) possibly being differentially impacted. To learn more about people’s…
Supportive and demanding managerial circumstances and associations with excellent workability
Circa 30% of the participating principals perceived their workability to be excellent. Reducing role demands, clarifying the principals' areas of responsibility and accountability in relation to other actors in the governing chain (role conflicts), striving for increased role clarity, and striving to find ways to separate work and private life, seem to be promising intervention areas if increasing principals' workability is desired
Psychosocial Working Conditions and Social Participation. A 10-Year Follow-Up of Senior Workers
Social participation is important for health, and it is well known that high strain jobs impact negatively on mental and physical health. However, knowledge about the impact of psychosocial working conditions on social participation from a long-term perspective is lacking. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between different job types and social participation from a long-term perspective. A comprehensive public health q…
Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Occupational Balance Questionnaire
Occupational balance (OB) may be a major determinant of health outcomes due to its role in bringing a sense of purpose in the occupations that are personally experienced as a process of getting health and wellness. The Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ) is a reliable instrument for measuring OB, although it has not been adapted and validated in Spain so far; therefore, this study had a double aim: (1) to translate and cross-culturally adapt…
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Associations between Occupational Factors, Signs of Exhaustion, and the Intention to Change Workplace among Swedish Principals
A high turnover among principals may disrupt the continuity of leadership and negatively affect teachers and, by extension, the students. The aim was to investigate to what extent various work environment factors and signs of exhaustion were associated with reported intentions to change workplace among principals working in compulsory schools. A web-based questionnaire was administered twice, in 2018 and in 2019. Part I of the study involved cros…
Organizational and social work environment factors, occupational balance and no or negligible stress symptoms among Swedish principals – a cross-sectional study
The occupational balance of principals is strongly associated with no or negligible stress symptoms, and thus is a promising venue for promoting well-being. Improvements should be made to several factors in the organizational and social work environments to improve principals' chances of having occupational balance, and therefore better mental health
Prevalence of exhaustion symptoms and associations with school level, length of work experience and gender
A large group of Swedish principals working in pre-schools, compulsory schools, upper secondary schools or adult education displayed a symptomatology of signs of exhaustion that if sustained might lead to poor health. This observation suggests that education authorities, or other relevant stakeholders, ought to take some form of preventive action. However, effective combinations of individual, group, organisational, and/or societal preventive act…
Occupational balance and satisfaction with daily occupations in persons with depression or anxiety disorders
Introduction Occupational balance and satisfaction with daily occupations are two central concepts in occupational science. The aim of the present study was therefore to explore associations between different aspects of occupational balance and satisfaction with daily occupations. A second aim was to explore whether different aspects of occupational balance predicted satisfaction with daily occupations 12 months later.Methods The present study ha…
Occupational Health among Swedish Occupational Therapists
The Swedish public sector is facing great challenges in recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals, due to increasing sick leave numbers. The aim of this study was to describe Swedish occupational therapists' occupational health in terms of risk factors in the social and organizational work environment, occupational balance, and work-related mental health problems. A web survey was emailed to all working members of the Swedish Association …
Equilibrio ocupacional desde la perspectiva interpersonal
Antecedentes: El equilibrio ocupacional es un concepto importante en la ciencia ocupacional, aunque su estudio se ha realizado principalmente desde una perspectiva individual. Otra perspectiva relevante en el equilibrio ocupacional es la perspectiva interpersonal, por ejemplo, en qué medida el equilibrio ocupacional de una persona afecta a los demás y se ve afectado por estos. El objetivo de esta revisión es describir en qué medida se ha abordado…
Experiences of the Urban Green Local Environment as a Factor for Well-Being among Adults
The amount and quality of greenness in the local outdoor environment has repeatedly been linked to human well-being. Different types of green areas are likely required in order to meet the various needs of people throughout the course of their lives and with regard to individual social and economic living conditions. The aim of the present study was to increase the understanding of different pathways between green environments, well-being and hea…
Burnout among school teachers
A substantial proportion of teachers showed signs of burnout at both occasions. Low self-efficacy and high job demands was of importance for burnout, and changes in burnout was further associated with changes in decision latitude. The results points to the need of actions on individual, organizational and a societal levels
Occupational balance from the interpersonal perspective
Background: Occupational balance is an important concept in occupational science but it has mostly been studied from an individual rather than an interpersonal perspective, i.e. the extent to which one individual’s occupational balance affects and is affected by others. The aim of this review was to describe the extent to which occupational balance has been recently considered from an interpersonal perspective.Methods: A scoping review methodolog…
Older assistant nurses’ motivation for a full or extended working life
The aim of this study was to explore older workers’ motivation for a full or extended working life. With particular focus on assistant nurses aged 55–64 years, working in the elderly care sector. Focus group interviews were conducted with five different groups of assistant nurses. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the interviews and five main themes were developed from the data: ‘Organisational issues’, ‘Health-related problems’, ‘P…
Treatment of depression and/or anxiety – outcomes of a randomised controlled trial of the tree theme method® versus regular occupational therapy
Clinical Trials.gov: NCT01980381 ; registered November 2013
Occupational balance as described by older workers over the age of 65
Occupational balance promotes health, knowledge about occupational balance among older workers is important. This qualitative study aimed to describe occupational balance among older workers in Sweden. Six focus groups and two individual interviews were conducted with 26 workers, aged 65 years and older. The findings showed that drawing on abilities and resources, a harmonious mix of occupations, as well as congruence with values and personal mea…
Burnout among Swedish school teachers – a cross-sectional analysis
Even if circa 50 % of the teachers appear do well with respect to burnout, the results points to the need of implementing multifaceted countermeasures that may serve to reduce burnout
The Tree Theme Method® (TTM), an occupational therapy intervention for treating depression and anxiety
ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01980381; registered November 2013
Occupational Balance
This article reports a comprehensive review of the research conducted regarding occupational balance. A scoping study method was used to explore and describe current research about occupational balance and to identify research gaps. Twenty-two articles published between 2009 and 2014 met the inclusion criteria. The articles reported studies conducted in eight countries on four continents, but the majority were conducted in Europe and North Americ…
Achieving Balance In Everyday Life
There is growing interest in developing a conceptual understanding of the experience of balance in everyday life, from an occupational perspective. The purpose of this study was to gain insights about balance in the everyday lives of women with stress‐related disorders. Data were gathered from 19 women who were past the first phase of recovery from a stress‐related disorder and participated in one of five focus groups. Analysis revealed that the …
Meaning in Life for People with Schizophrenia
The aim of this study was to describe what people with schizophrenia may discern as bringing meaning to their lives, based on the premise that it cannot be taken for granted that occupation would be part of that. A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews was utilized to understand how the informants experienced meaning in life. Based on purposeful sampling in four Swedish supported housing units, 10 informants were recruited. They in…
How life balance is perceived by Swedish women recovering from a stress‐related disorder
This phenomenological research is the second part of two analysis phases. The purpose of the first analysis phase was to gain insights about the experiences, perceptions, and attitudes about lifestyle balance of 19 women who were recovering from stress‐related disorders. The findings indicated that the women perceived both balance and imbalance relative to their image of occupational self, strategies to manage and control everyday life, occupatio…
Occupational balance as described by older workers over the age of 65
Occupational balance promotes health, knowledge about occupational balance among older workers is important. This qualitative study aimed to describe occupational balance among older workers in Sweden. Six focus groups and two individual interviews were conducted with 26 workers, aged 65 years and older. The findings showed that drawing on abilities and resources, a harmonious mix of occupations, as well as congruence with values and personal mea…
Perceptions of Life Balance Among a Working Population in Sweden
A life in balance is commonly related to health and well-being. However, our knowledge regarding the perceptions of life balance among the general population is limited. Our aim was to explore the perception of life balance among working people without recent long-term sick leave. Individual interviews were conducted with 7 men and 12 women and analyzed according to grounded theory, aiming at achieving a description. The results showed that life …
Exploring occupations and well-being before and during the Covid-19 pandemic in adults with and without inflammatory arthritis
To decrease the spread of the COVID-19 virus, public health officials in British Columbia, Canada ordered large-scale physical distancing requirements, leading to school and business closures, banning of large gatherings, and travel restrictions. These requirements shifted people’s occupational repertoires, with vulnerable populations (e.g., those with chronic health conditions) possibly being differentially impacted. To learn more about people’s…
Equilibrio ocupacional desde la perspectiva interpersonal
Antecedentes: El equilibrio ocupacional es un concepto importante en la ciencia ocupacional, aunque su estudio se ha realizado principalmente desde una perspectiva individual. Otra perspectiva relevante en el equilibrio ocupacional es la perspectiva interpersonal, por ejemplo, en qué medida el equilibrio ocupacional de una persona afecta a los demás y se ve afectado por estos. El objetivo de esta revisión es describir en qué medida se ha abordado…
Older assistant nurses’ motivation for a full or extended working life
The aim of this study was to explore older workers’ motivation for a full or extended working life. With particular focus on assistant nurses aged 55–64 years, working in the elderly care sector. Focus group interviews were conducted with five different groups of assistant nurses. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the interviews and five main themes were developed from the data: ‘Organisational issues’, ‘Health-related problems’, ‘P…
Validating the Model of Lifestyle Balance on a Working Swedish Population
An analysis of data from a previously conducted grounded theory study exploring perceptions of life balance among 19 working adults without recent long term sick leave was carried out. The aim of this secondary analysis was to use these perceptions of life balance to validate the Model of Lifestyle Balance proposed by Matuska and Christiansen. For the validation, a matrix was used. The results showed that Matuska and Christiansen's five need-base…
Perceptions of employment, domestic work, and leisure as predictors of health among women and men
Background: The aims of this longitudinal study were to analyse whether perceptions of employment, domestic work and leisure were predictors of health among women and men, and whether the predictors revealed were the same for both genders. Method: A random sample comprising of 2,683 employees in public health care and social insurance offices (2286 women and 397 men) in western Sweden, answered a survey twice, within a two‐year interval. Results:…
Achieving Balance In Everyday Life
There is growing interest in developing a conceptual understanding of the experience of balance in everyday life, from an occupational perspective. The purpose of this study was to gain insights about balance in the everyday lives of women with stress‐related disorders. Data were gathered from 19 women who were past the first phase of recovery from a stress‐related disorder and participated in one of five focus groups. Analysis revealed that the …
How life balance is perceived by Swedish women recovering from a stress‐related disorder
This phenomenological research is the second part of two analysis phases. The purpose of the first analysis phase was to gain insights about the experiences, perceptions, and attitudes about lifestyle balance of 19 women who were recovering from stress‐related disorders. The findings indicated that the women perceived both balance and imbalance relative to their image of occupational self, strategies to manage and control everyday life, occupatio…
Perceptions of employment, domestic work, and leisure as predictors of health among women and men
Background: The aims of this longitudinal study were to analyse whether perceptions of employment, domestic work and leisure were predictors of health among women and men, and whether the predictors revealed were the same for both genders. Method: A random sample comprising of 2,683 employees in public health care and social insurance offices (2286 women and 397 men) in western Sweden, answered a survey twice, within a two‐year interval. Results:…
Validating the Model of Lifestyle Balance on a Working Swedish Population
An analysis of data from a previously conducted grounded theory study exploring perceptions of life balance among 19 working adults without recent long term sick leave was carried out. The aim of this secondary analysis was to use these perceptions of life balance to validate the Model of Lifestyle Balance proposed by Matuska and Christiansen. For the validation, a matrix was used. The results showed that Matuska and Christiansen's five need-base…
Meaning in Life for People with Schizophrenia
The aim of this study was to describe what people with schizophrenia may discern as bringing meaning to their lives, based on the premise that it cannot be taken for granted that occupation would be part of that. A qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews was utilized to understand how the informants experienced meaning in life. Based on purposeful sampling in four Swedish supported housing units, 10 informants were recruited. They in…
Perceptions of Life Balance Among a Working Population in Sweden
A life in balance is commonly related to health and well-being. However, our knowledge regarding the perceptions of life balance among the general population is limited. Our aim was to explore the perception of life balance among working people without recent long-term sick leave. Individual interviews were conducted with 7 men and 12 women and analyzed according to grounded theory, aiming at achieving a description. The results showed that life …
The Tree Theme Method® (TTM), an occupational therapy intervention for treating depression and anxiety
ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01980381; registered November 2013
Occupational Balance
This article reports a comprehensive review of the research conducted regarding occupational balance. A scoping study method was used to explore and describe current research about occupational balance and to identify research gaps. Twenty-two articles published between 2009 and 2014 met the inclusion criteria. The articles reported studies conducted in eight countries on four continents, but the majority were conducted in Europe and North Americ…
Burnout among Swedish school teachers – a cross-sectional analysis
Even if circa 50 % of the teachers appear do well with respect to burnout, the results points to the need of implementing multifaceted countermeasures that may serve to reduce burnout
Treatment of depression and/or anxiety – outcomes of a randomised controlled trial of the tree theme method® versus regular occupational therapy
Clinical Trials.gov: NCT01980381 ; registered November 2013
Occupational balance as described by older workers over the age of 65
Occupational balance promotes health, knowledge about occupational balance among older workers is important. This qualitative study aimed to describe occupational balance among older workers in Sweden. Six focus groups and two individual interviews were conducted with 26 workers, aged 65 years and older. The findings showed that drawing on abilities and resources, a harmonious mix of occupations, as well as congruence with values and personal mea…
Experiences of the Urban Green Local Environment as a Factor for Well-Being among Adults
The amount and quality of greenness in the local outdoor environment has repeatedly been linked to human well-being. Different types of green areas are likely required in order to meet the various needs of people throughout the course of their lives and with regard to individual social and economic living conditions. The aim of the present study was to increase the understanding of different pathways between green environments, well-being and hea…
Burnout among school teachers
A substantial proportion of teachers showed signs of burnout at both occasions. Low self-efficacy and high job demands was of importance for burnout, and changes in burnout was further associated with changes in decision latitude. The results points to the need of actions on individual, organizational and a societal levels
Occupational balance from the interpersonal perspective
Background: Occupational balance is an important concept in occupational science but it has mostly been studied from an individual rather than an interpersonal perspective, i.e. the extent to which one individual’s occupational balance affects and is affected by others. The aim of this review was to describe the extent to which occupational balance has been recently considered from an interpersonal perspective.Methods: A scoping review methodolog…
Older assistant nurses’ motivation for a full or extended working life
The aim of this study was to explore older workers’ motivation for a full or extended working life. With particular focus on assistant nurses aged 55–64 years, working in the elderly care sector. Focus group interviews were conducted with five different groups of assistant nurses. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the interviews and five main themes were developed from the data: ‘Organisational issues’, ‘Health-related problems’, ‘P…
Occupational Health among Swedish Occupational Therapists
The Swedish public sector is facing great challenges in recruiting and retaining healthcare professionals, due to increasing sick leave numbers. The aim of this study was to describe Swedish occupational therapists' occupational health in terms of risk factors in the social and organizational work environment, occupational balance, and work-related mental health problems. A web survey was emailed to all working members of the Swedish Association …
Equilibrio ocupacional desde la perspectiva interpersonal
Antecedentes: El equilibrio ocupacional es un concepto importante en la ciencia ocupacional, aunque su estudio se ha realizado principalmente desde una perspectiva individual. Otra perspectiva relevante en el equilibrio ocupacional es la perspectiva interpersonal, por ejemplo, en qué medida el equilibrio ocupacional de una persona afecta a los demás y se ve afectado por estos. El objetivo de esta revisión es describir en qué medida se ha abordado…
Supportive and demanding managerial circumstances and associations with excellent workability
Circa 30% of the participating principals perceived their workability to be excellent. Reducing role demands, clarifying the principals' areas of responsibility and accountability in relation to other actors in the governing chain (role conflicts), striving for increased role clarity, and striving to find ways to separate work and private life, seem to be promising intervention areas if increasing principals' workability is desired
Psychosocial Working Conditions and Social Participation. A 10-Year Follow-Up of Senior Workers
Social participation is important for health, and it is well known that high strain jobs impact negatively on mental and physical health. However, knowledge about the impact of psychosocial working conditions on social participation from a long-term perspective is lacking. The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between different job types and social participation from a long-term perspective. A comprehensive public health q…
Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Occupational Balance Questionnaire
Occupational balance (OB) may be a major determinant of health outcomes due to its role in bringing a sense of purpose in the occupations that are personally experienced as a process of getting health and wellness. The Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ) is a reliable instrument for measuring OB, although it has not been adapted and validated in Spain so far; therefore, this study had a double aim: (1) to translate and cross-culturally adapt…
Should I Stay or Should I Go? Associations between Occupational Factors, Signs of Exhaustion, and the Intention to Change Workplace among Swedish Principals
A high turnover among principals may disrupt the continuity of leadership and negatively affect teachers and, by extension, the students. The aim was to investigate to what extent various work environment factors and signs of exhaustion were associated with reported intentions to change workplace among principals working in compulsory schools. A web-based questionnaire was administered twice, in 2018 and in 2019. Part I of the study involved cros…
Organizational and social work environment factors, occupational balance and no or negligible stress symptoms among Swedish principals – a cross-sectional study
The occupational balance of principals is strongly associated with no or negligible stress symptoms, and thus is a promising venue for promoting well-being. Improvements should be made to several factors in the organizational and social work environments to improve principals' chances of having occupational balance, and therefore better mental health
Prevalence of exhaustion symptoms and associations with school level, length of work experience and gender
A large group of Swedish principals working in pre-schools, compulsory schools, upper secondary schools or adult education displayed a symptomatology of signs of exhaustion that if sustained might lead to poor health. This observation suggests that education authorities, or other relevant stakeholders, ought to take some form of preventive action. However, effective combinations of individual, group, organisational, and/or societal preventive act…
Occupational balance and satisfaction with daily occupations in persons with depression or anxiety disorders
Introduction Occupational balance and satisfaction with daily occupations are two central concepts in occupational science. The aim of the present study was therefore to explore associations between different aspects of occupational balance and satisfaction with daily occupations. A second aim was to explore whether different aspects of occupational balance predicted satisfaction with daily occupations 12 months later.Methods The present study ha…
School Principals’ Work Participation in an Extended Working Life—Are They Able to, and Do They Want to? A Quantitative Study of the Work Situation
The objective of this study is to increase the knowledge regarding school principals' work situations by examining the associations between various factors and the school principals' assessments of their ability or wish to work until 65 years of age or longer. The 1356 participating school principals in this study were aged between 50 and 64 years of age. Individual and work factors were evaluated in relation to two dichotomized outcomes: i.e., c…
Psychology (27 works) · Medicine (21 works) · Workplace Health and Well-being (20 works) · Social Psychology (19 works) · Social Psychology (15 works) · Occupational Therapy Practice and Research (13 works) · Psychiatry (11 works) · Clinical Psychology (10 works) · Clinical Psychology (10 works) · Gerontology (9 works)