OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health

Immersive virtual reality (VR) can provide a high level of engagement and distraction analgesia to address pain. However, community-based applications of this technology for older adults have not been studied. The objective of this study was to examine the applicability and effectiveness of an immersive VR intervention for pain, depression, and quality of life (QOL) in older adults. This pretest-posttest, mixed-methods design included senior center members ( n = 12) with pain that interfered with daily functioning...

The commercial popularity of smart home (SH) technology has broadened the scope of aging-in-place and home health occupational therapy. The objective of this article is to examine ownership of SH technology by older adults, their readiness to adopt SH technology, and identify the client factors relating to the adoption. A survey of older adults aged 60 and above living in the community was conducted. Respondents ( N = 445) who were women; in the age group of 60 to 70 years; living in a two-level home, with a body function impairment; with a fall history; and experienced in information and communication technology (ICT) were significantly likely to be "brisk adopters" of SH ( p < ...

Success at university may be influenced by concerns with occupation and occupational performance. To understand occupations of concern and occupational performance among a sample ( N = 144) of university students in the Midwest United States, the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure was administered. Socially related ( n = 103), academic-related ( n = 75), and work-related ( n = 64) occupations were the three most frequently reported occupational concerns. Time management ( n = 79) was the most frequent person-level concern...

The aim of this study was to translate the Measure of Quality of the Environment-Short Form (MQE-SF) into Turkish language and to evaluate the validity and reliability. The MQE-SF was culturally adapted via an internationally suggested method. A total of 185 volunteers with disabilities (age range = 18-55 y/o, 107 males; 78 females) from the Disabled People Association of Turkey completed the MQE-SF. To evaluate the MQE-SF's criterion/concurrent validity, the Craig Hospital Inventory of Environmental Factors (CHIEF) was also administered...

The purpose of this study is to describe important features of occupational therapy practice for treatment of military service members with chronic symptoms and a history of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) in a military concussion care clinic from service members' perspectives with support from occupational therapy practitioners. Two series of focus groups were conducted with service members with chronic mTBI-related symptoms ( n = 6) and practitioners ( n = 5). Data were analyzed concurrently with collection...

Attribution of importance and satisfaction with performance are key dimensions contributing to engagement in occupations. This study explored caregiver satisfaction with and importance attributed to the participation of their children and adolescents in household tasks. Participants included 109 caregivers of children and adolescents of both sexes, aged 6 to 14 years, from various socioeconomic levels. They were interviewed with two questions of the Children Helping Out: Responsibilities, Expectations and Supports (CHORES), with ratings of importance and satisfaction on Likert-type scales, and asked to explain their ratings...

Pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumor survivors are at risk for experiencing cognitive late effects (CLEs). Caregivers of survivors may be unaware of these changes or receive untimely information regarding CLEs. Conversely, health care providers (HCPs) may face barriers to providing education. This study aims to (a) understand the knowledge and resource gap for caregivers regarding CLEs and (b) explore how HCPs currently provide education. Caregivers and HCPs were both interviewed. Qualitative analysis was performed using emergent coding...

Studies of validity of a new caregiver report measure, the Children's Occupational Performance Questionnaire (COPQ) designed to address children's performance in the domains of personal and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), social participation, play/leisure, and education/work are presented. I examined criterion-related and discriminant validity of the COPQ. Criterion-related validity was addressed by correlating children's COPQ scores with those from the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale (VABS-II)...

Occupational therapy practitioners consider spirituality to be significant in affecting the process and outcome of occupational therapy; however, many therapists voice confusion and concern about its application within their practice. This study aimed to describe the personal definition of spirituality of young occupational therapy practitioners and their perspectives on its application to their practice. The data were collected using a self-prepared questionnaire with both opened and close questions. Thirty-five young occupational therapists, engaged in postprofessional master's degree, were interviewed...

For older adults aging in place, community mobility affects a constellation of interconnected occupations and can become a problematic aspect of the person-place relationship. The purpose of this research was to examine an older couple's mutually negotiated change in their community mobility and navigation patterns. Spatial data (using global positioning system [GPS] trackers), maps, activity logs, interviews, and well-being measures were collected longitudinally for both members of a long-married community-dwelling couple...

Handwriting assessments offer practitioners an objective measure to determine handwriting deficits, track student progress, and provide evidence for the use of occupational therapy intervention. This study determines the concurrent validity of the Print Tool with the Test of Handwriting Skills-Revised (THS-R) and examines the alignment of teacher perception with the Print Tool. Participants included 46 first- and second-grade students. All participants completed both handwriting assessments, and classroom teachers ( n = 4) rated each students' overall handwriting performance and potential areas of concern addressed by the Print Tool...

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Participation is necessary for childhood development, however, children with disabilities participate in fewer activities than their nondisabled peers. This study identified strategies caregivers use to increase participation in home- and community-based activities for children with autism spectrum disorder. Survey responses of 44 caregivers were analyzed through open and axial coding to develop a central theme and five broad themes. Caregiver strategies which produce a participation outcome fell into five themes: (a) adapters/facilitators, (b) pragmatic considerations, (c) social reframing, (d) sensory adjustments, and (e) desperate measures...

Optimal child development is supported by services, policies, a social determinants of health (SDOH) frame, and meaningful participation (as defined by the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health-Children and Youth [ICF-CY]). This scoping review describes the social determinants that may affect the participation of young children aged 0 to 3 years with developmental disabilities (DD) in the United States. Scoping review of studies including U.S. children with DD aged 0 to 3 years, from 2000 to 2016, were used...

Mealtime is an important family routine commonly affected for families with children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Limited research is available regarding strategies families incorporate to support mealtime engagement. The purpose of this study was to explore the frequency and characterize the purpose of Props used during mealtimes with children with ASD. A total of 12 families with a child(ren), N = 14, aged 2 to 7 years, with ASD and mealtime challenges or eating difficulties participated in video-recorded mealtimes in their home...

Independent participation in academic settings is decreased for children who have limited speech and are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The use of technology with children with ASD changes behavior, assists with making choices, and increases communication; however, no studies evaluated its impact on performance or required support in classroom activities. The objective of this study was to determine whether an iPad with Proloquo2Go would increase independent activity/task performance and reduce required support for children with ASD, during classroom activities compared with no and other forms of technology (i...

Although numerous studies have examined provider-caregiver interactions and their influence on care outcomes, few represent the perspective of the provider or specifically consider occupational therapy practitioners. The aim of this article is to explore the perspectives of occupational therapists regarding interactions with older adult caregivers in geriatric practice settings. The study was conducted using a constructivist grounded theory approach based on data obtained from repeated focus group sessions and subsequent individual reflections...

Hip fracture is prevalent among older adults impacting on all aspects of daily life. The gaols of this study were: (a) Examine the trajectory of activities of daily living (ADL)/instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) functioning and participation among older adults with hip fracture from prefracture to 6-months postrehabilitation; (b) determine the relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQoL), functional abilities, and participation 6-months postrehabilitation; and (c) examine whether functional outcomes can predict HRQoL...

Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of death among North American youth, with a high prevalence of distraction-related fatalities. Youth-focused interventions must address detecting (visual scanning) and responding (adjustment to stimuli) to critical roadway information. In this repeated measures study, we investigated the feasibility (i.e., recruitment and sample characteristics; data collection procedures; acceptability of the intervention; resources; and preliminary effects) of a DriveFocus™ app intervention on youth's driving performance...

The Activity Card Sort (ACS) can both record the clients' participation and any changes, which is a useful tool for practitioners to establish tailored occupation-focused goals. However, there is a limitation to apply the ACS to Japanese older adults as it consists of culturally relevant activities in the United States. The aim of this study was to select activity items reflecting Japanese older adults' lifestyles and opinions to develop the Activity Card Sort-Japan Version (ACS-JPN). In the item selection process, a two-round questionnaire survey was conducted for community-dwelling Japanese older adults (Round 1: n = 177, M age = 69...