Work Experiences of People with Mental Illness in Malaysia: A Preliminary Qualitative Study

Authors

Su-Lyn Boo, HELP University-CollegeFollow
Jaymee Loong, HELP University-CollegeFollow
Wai-Sheng Ng, HELP University-CollegeFollow

Abstract

This is a preliminary qualitative study, using a basic interpretive approach, to investigate the work experiences of people with mental illness in Malaysia. Six females and four males (aged 30-70) from a residential home for the mentally ill participated in semi-structured interviews. Three inter-relating themes emerged, namely the experience of self at work, perception of work, and experience of others at work. All participants reported problems in either work or family relationships; most of which interfered with their work. In addition, findings suggest that the participants' self experience may be related to the extent of one's illness integration, experience of psychosis, attitude towards illness, locus of control, and self-efficacy. Limitations and implications of the study are also discussed.

Keywords

Work Experience, Mental Illness, Mental Health, and Qualitative Research

Publication Date

1-1-2011

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2011.1044

Recommended APA Citation

Boo, S., Loong, J., & Ng, W. (2011). Work Experiences of People with Mental Illness in Malaysia: A Preliminary Qualitative Study. The Qualitative Report, 16(1), 162-179. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2011.1044