Occupational influence on sense of self through engagement in Dance for PD
Faculty Advisor Name
Dr. Rachelle Dorne
Department
Department of Health Professions
Description
Students in the Masters of Occupational Therapy class of 2021 are engaged in qualitative research with the Dance for Parkinson’s community. This research project is developing a theory that explains the experience of participation in virtual Dance for Parkinson’s (PD) related to the evolution of sense of self and becoming.
Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 individuals in a given population. Due to its high prevalence, the physical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are well recognized. Although there is a generous body of evidence on the psychosocial effects of living with PD, less is known about effective ways to address those effects.
Dance for Parkinson’s is a program that combines dance and music to provide an expressive art form with a movement program targeting Parkinsonian symptoms. Dance for PD can improve motor symptoms through use of goal directed movement. Although Dance for PD has been shown to increase aspects like social participation and self-esteem, it is unclear the mechanism by which this occurs; it is unknown how it may influence a participating individual's sense of self and therefore quality of life (QoL). Parkinson’s is a progressive condition that has its uncertainties and can result in changes in one’s ability to participate in chosen occupations, which is why the program is meaningful for many participants. Being part of the Dance for PD community is important for participants who are referred to as dancers throughout the program. It enables them to feel connected to others facing similar challenges, which is important to their mental health. The concepts of “sense of self” and “becoming” address this area; Both describe the feeling of how one sees oneself and and the person they are becoming as a result of participating in the Dance for PD program. With an emphasis on creative movement rather than performance, participants have a chance to see themselves beyond their condition.
Due to constraints brought on by the pandemic, many Dance for PD programs switched to a virtual presentation format. This study aims to examine the virtual means of participation in the Dance for PD program. This dynamic change in application of performance skills severely limits options for social participation, community mobility, leisure, and other meaningful occupations. This will be the 2nd year of occupational therapy student research projects with Kate Trammel, director of Dance for PD at JMU, building upon the previous phenomenology study about the face-to-face dance program to build theory about virtual dance programs around the world. Recruitment, data collection, and data analysis are in the early phase. Individual international dancers with PD have engaged in Zoom interviews with MOT graduate students and this poster will present preliminary analyses of these interviews toward development of grounded theory that explains how virtual Dance for PD contributes to participants’ evolution of sense of self to better understand the influence of this program on the health and well-being of those affected by this progressive disease. As grounded theory involves the iterative process of recruitment, data collection, transcription, and data analysis until no new codes are developed, the project will be continued through 2022.
Occupational influence on sense of self through engagement in Dance for PD
Students in the Masters of Occupational Therapy class of 2021 are engaged in qualitative research with the Dance for Parkinson’s community. This research project is developing a theory that explains the experience of participation in virtual Dance for Parkinson’s (PD) related to the evolution of sense of self and becoming.
Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects 1 to 2 out of every 1,000 individuals in a given population. Due to its high prevalence, the physical symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are well recognized. Although there is a generous body of evidence on the psychosocial effects of living with PD, less is known about effective ways to address those effects.
Dance for Parkinson’s is a program that combines dance and music to provide an expressive art form with a movement program targeting Parkinsonian symptoms. Dance for PD can improve motor symptoms through use of goal directed movement. Although Dance for PD has been shown to increase aspects like social participation and self-esteem, it is unclear the mechanism by which this occurs; it is unknown how it may influence a participating individual's sense of self and therefore quality of life (QoL). Parkinson’s is a progressive condition that has its uncertainties and can result in changes in one’s ability to participate in chosen occupations, which is why the program is meaningful for many participants. Being part of the Dance for PD community is important for participants who are referred to as dancers throughout the program. It enables them to feel connected to others facing similar challenges, which is important to their mental health. The concepts of “sense of self” and “becoming” address this area; Both describe the feeling of how one sees oneself and and the person they are becoming as a result of participating in the Dance for PD program. With an emphasis on creative movement rather than performance, participants have a chance to see themselves beyond their condition.
Due to constraints brought on by the pandemic, many Dance for PD programs switched to a virtual presentation format. This study aims to examine the virtual means of participation in the Dance for PD program. This dynamic change in application of performance skills severely limits options for social participation, community mobility, leisure, and other meaningful occupations. This will be the 2nd year of occupational therapy student research projects with Kate Trammel, director of Dance for PD at JMU, building upon the previous phenomenology study about the face-to-face dance program to build theory about virtual dance programs around the world. Recruitment, data collection, and data analysis are in the early phase. Individual international dancers with PD have engaged in Zoom interviews with MOT graduate students and this poster will present preliminary analyses of these interviews toward development of grounded theory that explains how virtual Dance for PD contributes to participants’ evolution of sense of self to better understand the influence of this program on the health and well-being of those affected by this progressive disease. As grounded theory involves the iterative process of recruitment, data collection, transcription, and data analysis until no new codes are developed, the project will be continued through 2022.
