Thematic Congruence and Acceptability of a Plan for Managing Personal Information Among People with Psychiatric Disabilities

摘要

The purpose of this study was to investigate (1) thematic congruence, and (2) service user acceptability of a tool for managing personal information (MPI) in the workplace. Twenty-five repeated pairs of semi-structured interviews were conducted. Participants were 18 years and older, diagnosed with a severe and persistent mental illness, and either current volunteers for supported employment assistance or reported having a vocational goal. Across the two-four week interval, the MPI was moderately congruent in terms of the themes discussed although the specific wording was not often consistent. The exceptions were discussions about work restrictions and terms to describe those restrictions, which both demonstrated lower levels of thematic congruence. In terms of service user acceptability, more than 80% of participants found the approach to be an empowering and positive experience. The MPI is a promising tool that is moderately congruent over time and is highly acceptable to service users when used as intended in vocational rehabilitation settings. However further investigation of its psychometric properties are needed, particularly its expected utility for preventing stigma and unfair discrimination in the workplace.