Occupational Therapy International最新文献

Background: Previous research has documented time use patterns among mothers of children with disabilities, but few studies have examined how time allocation across specific occupational domains influences perceived time deficiency. Understanding this relationship is important for developing interventions to support these mothers' well-being and occupational balance.

Purpose: This study is aimed at investigating differences in mothers' time use across occupational domains based on whether their child has a disability and examining how time allocation affects perceived time deficiency.

Methods: This study included 210 mothers (105 with children with disabilities and 105 with typically developing children) residing in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, South Korea. Participants completed 24-h time diaries, which were categorized according to the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (fourth edition). Data were analyzed using independent samples t-tests, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression.

Results: Mothers of children with disabilities spent significantly more time on instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) than mothers of typically developing children (512.57 vs. 363.90 min, p < 0.001), particularly in child rearing (235.52 vs. 76.67 min, p < 0.001) and healthcare system communication (20.38 vs. 3.05 min, p < 0.001). Conversely, they spent less time on activities of daily living (ADLs) (142.76 vs. 165.52 min, p < 0.01) and work (67.05 vs. 208.10 min, p < 0.001). Mothers of children with disabilities reported significantly higher levels of time deficiency (3.09 ± 0.67 vs. 2.61 ± 0.75, p < 0.001). Among mothers of children with disabilities, increased time spent on ADLs significantly reduced time deficiency (B = -0.004, p < 0.001), whereas IADL time showed a positive but nonsignificant association with time deficiency.

Conclusion: Mothers of children with disabilities experience occupational imbalance characterized by substantially increased caregiving demands and reduced personal care time, leading to heightened time deficiency. These findings highlight the need for caregiver support services and occupational balance interventions to improve these mothers' quality of life and well-being.

Objective: This study is aimed at determining the effects of telerehabilitation-delivered LSVT-BIG on physical function, occupational performance, and activities of daily living in patients with stroke.

Method: The participants included three patients who had been diagnosed with stroke for > 6 months. This study used the ABA single-subject study design. The study process was conducted for a total of 24 sessions over 6 weeks, including four sessions of baseline (A), 16 sessions of intervention using ZOOM (B), and four sessions of re-baseline (A ^'). During the intervention period (B), the intervention was conducted four times a week for 4 weeks for 60 min each time, according to the standardized LSVT-BIG protocol. Repeated measures assessments included the Timed Up and Go (TUG) and the Box and Block Test (BBT) at each session. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), modified Barthel index (MBI), and Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) were used to assess changes before and after the intervention. Descriptive statistics and visual analyses were used for data analysis.

Results: After the telerehabilitation-delivered LSVT-BIG intervention, all participants showed improvement in physical function. The TUG performance time decreased in each session, and the gait and balance improved. Both the BBT and FMA-affected side scores of both upper limbs increased compared with those before the intervention, indicating improvement in upper limb function. In terms of occupational performance and activities of daily living, the COPM performance and satisfaction scores and the MBI scores both increased after the intervention.

Conclusion: The positive clinical applicability of telerehabilitation-delivered LSVT-BIG intervention for patients with stroke was confirmed. In the future, follow-up studies on LSVT-BIG intervention that expand the benefits of telerehabilitation are needed.

Introduction: Sleep is a critical occupation that affects health and daily functioning, yet occupation-based approaches to addressing sleep have not been clearly defined within occupational therapy. To clarify current practice, this systematic review examined existing literature and classified occupation-based interventions (OBIs) for sleep according to the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF).

Methods: Searches were conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, and CINAHL for articles published from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2023, with an updated search performed up to October 27, 2024. Studies were included if they examined OBIs for sleep delivered by occupational therapists, incorporated occupation-based approaches or theoretical frameworks, and reported outcomes related to sleep quality, sleep participation, or occupational performance. Studies of any design were considered, while review articles, dissertations, conference proceedings, and non-English or inaccessible publications were excluded. Results were synthesized by classifying OBIs for sleep according to the OTPF.

Results: A total of 7510 studies were identified. After removing duplicates, 6729 studies were screened by title and abstract, and 99 articles underwent full-text review. Ten studies met all inclusion criteria. The included studies involved diverse populations, regardless of the presence or absence of sleep-related problems. OTPF-based classification showed that most interventions primarily focused on sleep preparation, suggesting that current occupational therapy approaches may not fully address broader sleep-related needs. A multidisciplinary approach may therefore be necessary to address the complexity of sleep problems.

Conclusion: These findings highlight the value of OBIs as theoretically grounded and clinically relevant strategies, while underscoring the need for further development of interventions that integrate both sleep preparation and participation. However, evidence was limited by heterogeneous outcome measures, which precluded meta-analysis, and by the exclusive focus on occupational therapy interventions, which may not fully reflect the multidisciplinary approaches to sleep.

Background: My Sensory Experiences Tool (MYSET) is a picture-based card-sort tool designed to support conversations with autistic people about their sensory experiences with a view to enabling better understanding and accommodation of their sensory challenges.

Purpose: This study aimed firstly to describe MYSET and the considerations that guided the development of the tool, and secondly to explore the perceptions of autistic people, family members and professional practitioners of the usefulness of MYSET and ways it could be improved.

Method: We gathered the perspectives of 18 professional practitioners, five autistic individuals and four family members through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The data was analysed through inductive content analysis.

Findings: The participants perceived that MYSET enabled the gathering of individualised qualitative information about the person's sensory experiences. MYSET was also perceived to be accessible, including people ranging in age from 5 years to adulthood and people with abilities ranging from mild intellectual disability to average/high IQ. The tool facilitates conversations about the links between the person's sensory responses and their daily life experiences. A key perceived outcome of MYSET was the enhancement of others' capacity to understand and accommodate the autistic person's sensory challenges. The tool was refined in response to participant feedback.

Conclusion: MYSET enables the gathering of detailed, individualised qualitative data on the sensory experiences of an autistic person and the collaborative design of accommodations that are compatible with their lifestyle.

Background: Early intervention programs are needed for children at risk of fine motor delays. Due to the scarcity of community occupational therapists, alternative services are being developed through collaboration with related professionals.

Objective: This study was aimed at evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of a pilot intervention program designed to promote fine motor skill development in preschoolers attending early childhood educational settings in a community.

Methods: A pilot quasi-experimental design was employed. Thirty preschoolers (aged 2-6 years) were identified as at-risk for fine motor delays and recruited from early childhood educational settings in a community in Chiang Mai province, Thailand. The intervention program was tailored to five age groups and comprised 20 activity sessions (10 h total) that focused on both bilateral motor coordination and visual-motor integration. Content validity of the program was assessed by five experts. Feasibility was evaluated by using McNemar's test. Acceptability was explored through a focus group of seven teachers as program users. Then, qualitative data were analyzed by thematic analysis.

Results: McNemar's test was employed to evaluate the change in fine motor development for paired dichotomous data ("still delayed" vs. "normal/improved"). At postintervention, 22 out of 30 children (73.33%) demonstrated improved fine motor development, with significant statistical support (χ ² = 5.63, p < 0.001, α = 0.05). Odds ratio of improvement was 2.75, with 95% confidence interval (CI) (95% CI: 1.22-6.18), indicating the magnitude of the effect. The highest developmental gains were observed in children aged 4.0-4.11 years (Group III). Thematic analysis revealed three core themes indicating acceptability: (1) engagement and appropriateness of materials, (2) effectiveness in promoting fine motor and academic skills, and (3) practicality and usability for teachers.

Conclusion: This teacher-led collaborative service provides promising preliminary evidence of a feasible and acceptable approach to promoting fine motor skills in at-risk preschoolers, though further rigorous studies are needed to confirm its efficacy.

Purpose: This study was aimed at investigating the effectiveness of a teleoccupational therapy intervention program in improving developmental and play skills in children diagnosed with cortical visual impairment (CVI). The intervention was structured based on the person-environment-occupation (PEO) model.

Materials and methods: A quasiexperimental, pretest-posttest study design was employed with eight children aged 4-6 diagnosed with CVI. The intervention consisted of 12 weekly online occupational therapy sessions, focused on visual perception, motor skills, and environmental adaptation strategies. Outcome measures included the Ankara Developmental Screening Inventory (ADSI) and the Revised Knox Preschool Play Scale (RKPPS). Data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.

Results: Significant improvements were observed in motor accuracy, visual attention, and sensory processing after the intervention (p < 0.05). Parental reports indicated increased engagement in purposeful play and daily routines. No adverse effects were reported.

Conclusion: The findings support the feasibility and effectiveness of teleoccupational therapy based on the PEO model in enhancing developmental and play skills in children with CVI. The approach offers a viable alternative when in-person services are limited.

Objectives: Family caregivers often face significant challenges, such as insufficient sleep, fatigue due to aging, difficulty engaging in social activities, and fewer interactions with friends and neighbors. However, some family caregivers manage to maintain active lifestyles while providing home care. This study is aimed at exploring the relationship between family caregivers' sense of coherence (SOC) and their perception of caregiving burden.

Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 74 family caregivers of community-dwelling older adults who used day-care insurance services; 64 were included in the final analysis. Data were collected using a questionnaire that included the SOC-13 scale, rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to identify the factors influencing caregivers' perception of caregiving burden, with SOC subfactors serving as explanatory variables.

Results: Comprehensibility, one of the SOC subscales, showed a significant negative association with caregiver burden, and the association was strengthened after adjustment (Model 2: B = -0.376, β = -0.534, p = 0.005). Daily caregiving hours were positively associated with burden, whereas meaningfulness and manageability were not significant.

Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of comprehensibility in influencing caregivers' sense of burden. The findings provide valuable insights into the relationship between caregivers' SOC and their perceived caregiving burden. Moreover, they emphasize the relevance of this relationship to the field of occupational therapy, as occupational therapists can play a key role in enhancing caregivers' comprehensibility, thereby helping them alleviate the caregiving burden through targeted interventions.

Clinical implications: These findings underscore the importance of promoting comprehensibility among family caregivers to alleviate their perceived burden and support sustained caregiving. Occupational therapy interventions focused on improving caregivers' understanding of the caregiving process can contribute to better mental and physical health outcomes, benefiting both caregivers and care recipients.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2022/8209128.].

Introduction: Family-centered occupational therapy provided in children's natural environments can enhance learning, development, participation, and caregiver competence. Consultation is a key approach within this model. This scoping review examined the literature on family-centered occupational therapy consultation for individuals under 18 years old and its reported effects on families and goal achievement.

Method: Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, five databases and gray literature were searched (2000-April 2025). Studies were included if they described synchronous consultation between families and occupational therapists. Data were extracted on study design, intervention characteristics, and outcomes.

Results: Then, 15 studies met inclusion criteria (12 quantitative and three qualitative). Of the quantitative studies, eight reported statistically significant improvements in child or parent outcomes (e.g., occupational performance, participation, and parental confidence), three reported mixed or nonsignificant results, and one was descriptive only. Qualitative studies consistently reported increased caregiver understanding, confidence, and ability to implement strategies in natural environments. Most interventions occurred in schools or home programs, with limited evidence from telehealth, adolescents, or non-Western contexts.

Conclusion: Family-centered consultation in pediatric occupational therapy shows promise for improving participation-related outcomes and caregiver competence but remains methodologically heterogeneous and understudied in certain populations and formats. Further research should address these gaps to strengthen the evidence base.