A Qualitative Study of Rehabilitation Professionals’ Optimal Social Participation and Factors Perceived as Influencing

Introduction and Purpose: Optimal social participation, which is the ultimate goal targeted by rehabilitation professionals for their clients, can be defined as perfect congruence between an individual’s expectations and reality. Work-family dynamic requires balance between the different spheres of a worker’s life. The purpose is to explore the perception of rehabilitation professionals regarding their optimal social participation based on work-family conciliation, and the factors they identify as influencing this participation. Method: Qualitative study with a phenomenological orientation among 13 rehabilitation professionals using an interview guide consisting of open questions. The data was audio-recorded and transcribed in full (verbatim) followed by content analysis. Analysis was carried out systematically to achieve a better understanding of the facts. A proportion of the analysis (approximately 10%) was coded by another team member for validation. Results: Participants were mostly women (12/13) aged 31 to 44 years having one to three children aged from 7 months to 12 years old. Optimality of participation is perceived as the ability (or not) to carry out important activities while fulfilling one’s various responsibilities. Of the five environmental factors perceived to have an influence (financial aspects, spousal support, time, flexible work schedule, and family organization), family organization appears to be a determinant of possibility and thus greatly influences individual expectations. Conclusion: Work-life balance is a complex phenomenon that should be studied holistically rather than in a segmented