A Metaphorical Analysis of Employment Barriers and Support Needs in Psychosis

Authors

Margaret E. Hampson Dr., Bond UniversityFollow
Richard E. Hicks Dr, Bond UniversityFollow
Bruce D. Watt Dr, Bond UniversityFollow

Abstract

This study uses metaphor analysis to explore the employment-related experiences of people living with psychosis and those around them such as family, community members, professionals and employers. Data was derived from transcripts of 14 focus groups and 31 interviews conducted during a qualitative study of the employment barriers and support needs of people living with psychosis. The sample comprised participants drawn from six key stakeholder groups, namely people diagnosed with a persisting psychotic disorder, care-givers, health professionals, employers, employment providers and local community members. Transcripts from focus groups and interviews were imported into NVivo 10 and explored through the lens of a metaphor analysis. The study identified three common metaphorical themes used by participants to describe their experiences of job seeking and employment: a combat theme; a sports theme and a journey theme. The study demonstrates that metaphor analysis can be a useful form of triangulation to enrich our understanding of the employment barriers and support needs of people living with psychosis.

Keywords

Qualitative, Metaphor Analysis, Employment Barriers, Employment Support Needs, Psychosis, Unemployment

Author Bio(s)

Dr. Margaret Hampson is honorary adjunct assistant professor of psychology at Bond University. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to mhampson@bond.edu.au.

Dr. Richard Hicks is professor of psychology at Bond University. Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to rhicks@bond.edu.au.

Dr. Bruce Watt is assistant professor of psychology at Bond University Correspondence regarding this article can also be addressed directly to bwatt@bond.edu.au.

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge research funding received through Bond University and thank the organisations and people who participated in this research.

Publication Date

10-9-2017

Creative Commons License

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

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2017.2687

Recommended APA Citation

Hampson, M. E., Hicks, R. E., & Watt, B. D. (2017). A Metaphorical Analysis of Employment Barriers and Support Needs in Psychosis. The Qualitative Report, 22(10), 2638-2651. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2017.2687