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Article Report 4: Review Article

School of Occupational Therapy, Pacific Northwest University

OTH 505: Foundations of Inquiry

Dr. Malcolm Cutchin

November 19, 2023

References

Farrell, C. & Bryant, W. (2009). Voluntary work for adults with mental health problems: a route

to inclusion? A review of the literature. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(4),

163-173. https://doi.org/10.1177/030802260907200405
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Article Report 4: Review Article

For many years involvement in volunteer work has been recognized as a key component

of promoting mental and behavioral health through social inclusion. Yet, few studies have

published evidence to support this belief or indicate strategies for establishing successful

volunteer placements. Additionally, it is believed that people experiencing mental health

problems face significant barriers such as stigma and discrimination when trying to obtain

volunteer work. This literature review evaluated the evidence base for the use of volunteering to

promote social inclusion for people experiencing mental health problems in the United Kingdom

(UK) and the implications for occupational therapy. Owing to the lack of peer-reviewed articles

in the field, authors Farrell and Bryant (2009) gathered information from a wide range of sources

including databases, websites, and books.

The authors sufficiently explained that given recent political and social changes in the

UK, they chose to restrict the search to studies conducted over the past 10 years. Additionally,

only studies that reflected the influence of the concept of social inclusion were included. The

following databases were searched: AMED, BNI, CINAL (NAHL), EMBASE, King’s Fund

(KFND), MEDLINE, and PsycInfo, combining the keywords ‘mental illness’ OR ‘social

inclusion’ (OR ‘mental health’ OR ‘social exclusion’ OR ‘stigma’) AND ‘voluntary work’ (OR

‘volunteering’). To ensure that articles had not been missed, searches were also made using the

terms ‘schizophrenia’ and ‘psychiatrist’. Because few studies met the inclusion criteria,

additional web searches were made of the Cochrane database, the National Electronic Library for

Health, the National Institute for Mental Health in England, the Institute for Volunteering

Research, Google Scholar, Searcher and Social Exclusion Unit, and several others. Much of the
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available literature from the Web was methodologically flawed and many of the studies were

small, so caution is needed in using the findings as evidence for practice development.

Four main themes emerged from the literature: volunteering for mental health,

volunteering and disability, volunteering and mental health problems, and volunteering and

social inclusion. The literature explored to evaluate the impact of volunteering on mental health

(Table 1) suggested that it is beneficial, but its effect varied across age groups and settings. A

mixed method UK study found positive effects, but a low response rate and self-selection

affected the findings. Studies of adults with disabilities (Table 2) found volunteering brought

psychosocial benefits, but also identified barriers. Three studies found negative attitudes to

disability in volunteer organizations. Studies suggested that volunteering can be beneficial for

people with mental health problems (Table 3), but support was necessary. Studies on volunteer

work to promote social inclusion for people with mental health problems (Table 4) were limited.

The Institute for Volunteering Research found that volunteering could improve social integration,

empowerment, and self-esteem, but warned of potential psychological and practical barriers. The

authors inferred from the research that volunteer work may be a useful means of improving

mental health and promoting social inclusion for people with mental health problems, but

evidence is lacking.

Within the context of existing literature, the authors discuss the need for occupational

therapists to collaborate with volunteer recruiters to ensure successful placements and state a

need for the profession to improve political and social awareness to break down the barriers and

promote occupational justice. This review sufficiently highlights the lack of empirical studies on

voluntary work, mental health, and inclusion. The authors contribute to the body of knowledge

by evidencing the need for further research and conclude that the study justifiably brings
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attention to how the science suggests occupational marginalization and apartheid may prevent

those with mental health problems from volunteering.

In addition to indicating the need for further research, this review does a nice job of

discussing the implications for occupational therapy. Its rigorous exploration of the complex

issues that impede people with mental health problems from volunteering provides a range of

insightful perspectives and is its greatest strength. Additionally, it identifies ways to improve

access for people with mental health problems and is valuable to the profession because it

spotlights how well-placed occupational therapy is to assist those with mental health problems

towards an inclusive place in society. A key weakness is that many of the articles reviewed were

small-scale quantitative studies. Thus, they can only indicate trends or possibilities and cannot be

generalized to the larger population.