De la personne et ses occupations à la cellule : épigénétique et santé mentale, quelles perspectives pour l’ergothérapie ?

Summary :

Research in mental health shows that environmental factors, stress and certain psychotherapeutic interventions can modulate gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms. Occupational therapy, a discipline focused on the interaction between person, environment and occupations, could contribute to these biological dynamics, but this hypothesis remains largely unexplored. This literature review aims to synthesize current knowledge on non‑pharmacological interventions associated with epigenetic changes in mental health, and to discuss their theoretical implications for occupational therapy using the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement (CMOP‑E).
A scoping review was conducted in psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience databases, including human studies reporting epigenetic markers before or after an intervention. Thirty‑two studies were analyzed ; they mainly focused on psychotherapies, psychosocial programs, changes in living environments and mind‑body practices. These studies describe DNA methylation changes in genes involved in stress regulation and neuroplasticity, as well as a degree of reversibility in epigenetic profiles.
By reclassifying the factors studied using the CMOP‑E, this review highlights strong convergences with common targets of occupational therapy (structuring daily routines, quality of environments, occupational engagement). It proposes a bio‑eco‑psycho‑occupational model to conceptualize occupational therapy as a potential modulator of epigenetic trajectories in mental health, while emphasizing current methodological limitations and the need for interdisciplinary empirical research.

Article rédigé par :

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  Alice Thévenet

  Ergothérapeute DE
  mineau.alice@gmail.com
  https://ergotherapie-et-epigenetique.fr

  IFE de Poitiers
  Directrice de mémoire : Catherine Chambre-Massonnaud