Desempleo, salud y terapia ocupacional

Abstract

[Resumen] Background: By the use of the term "unemployment" refers to a group of people who have a characteristic in common. This is the fact of having suffered an event on their workplace, which has interrupted their life story. Within this heterogeneous group of people, the most common ones are those elderly long-term unemployed, people with handicaps and young people, who are either in search of their first job or waiting for a new temporary contract. All of this causes adverse effects upon health, economy and the socio-family environment, which leads to an increased risk of social exclusion. Methods: A qualitative research with conversational techniques (interviews) to different categories of informants formed by unemployed people and temporary employed people, medical staff, administration of work, health and social affairs, labour unions and National Employment Institute. The area of the study is delimited to the city of A Coruna. The hypothesis of the work is based on the association between the phenomenon of unemployment and the health conditions, which have an impact upon the occupational balance of the person. Objetives: Exploring the relationship between unemployment and health. Especifically, identifying the different actors involved, determining their reality, identifying and interpreting the meaning attached to the process by the actors and extracting action strategies of Occupational Therapy, in matters of promoting participation and health.