Promoting a Sustainable Digital Work Life for People with Cognitive Difficulties

The digitalization has changed the work life and created new cognitive demands that can be challenging to manage in digital work and everyday life for people with cognitive difficulties related to neurological disorders. Nevertheless, the consequences of these changes are largely unexplored. Thus, the overall aim of this thesis is to enhance knowledge of how people with cognitive difficulties experience digital work and other occupations in everyday life, and how to promote a sustainable digital work life. The thesis comprises four qualitative studies. Study I explored and described how people with cognitive difficulties engaged in digital work, experienced their vocational situation and how it influenced their everyday life. This study was designed as a qualitative, descriptive, multiple case study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, self-reports and assessments from seven participants with neurological disorders and analysed using pattern matching. The findings suggest that performing digital work was cognitively demanding and influenced engagement in other valuable occupations. Work-related obligations were prioritized over other occupations in everyday life. Additionally, digital work was facilitated by support from employers and family, as well as by using self-initiated management strategies in challenging situations. Study II described how people with cognitive difficulties due to neurological disorders experienced their use of self-initiated strategies to manage digitalized work and other occupations in everyday life. Eleven participants participated in qualitative interviews, supported by a dialogue support tool. The findings of the qualitative content analysis imply that self-initiated management strategies were often crucial for managing challenging situations in digital work and to uphold engagement in occupations outside work. Having an ability to self-evaluate and reflect upon the use of strategies was necessary for a conscious, f