Defining the Construct of Occupational Adaptation

Overview In this chapter, we synthesize as an introductory chapter the results of a scoping study on the construct of occupational adaptation that we published as an original research article in the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (Grajo, Boisselle, & DaLomba, 2018). The study highlighted four essential definitions of the construct of occupational adaptation based on an analysis of 74 articles published in peer-reviewed publications. Occupational adaptation is defined as: A product of engagement in occupation, A transaction with the environment, A manner of responding to change and life transitions, And a process of forming a desired sense of self. This chapter aims to provide an overview and synthesis, through a scoping study perspective, of the many expansions on the construct of occupational adaptation that you will read about throughout this text.