Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Expanding Knowledge On Occupations, One Harmful Occupation At A Time, Taylor Dingus

OCCUPATION: A Medium of Inquiry about Health through Occupation

Humans are both natural doers and occupational beings, but in order to consider them as such, one must understand all occupational choices, the meanings and human behavior behind the choices, and the environment in which the choices take place (Helbig & McKay, 2003). Considering self-harm, substance abuse, and addiction as occupations advances this understanding of humans as occupational in nature who are molded by their occupational choices and factors surrounding them (Wasmuth, Brandon-Friedman, & Olesek, 2016). This study aimed to gain an understanding of the occupational nature of humans that engage in occupations defined as harmful by society in order …

An Occupational Therapy Approach To Developing Empowerment: Supporting The Recovery Of Women Affected By Substance Abuse In A Residential Treatment Facility, Margaret Schneider-Adams, Molly Schneider-Adams

OTD Capstone Projects

An Occupational Therapy Approach to Developing Empowerment: Supporting the Recovery of Women Affected by Substance Abuse in a Residential Treatment Facility Capstone project poster and presentation in fulfillment of Doctorate of Occupational Therapy Program at Belmont University.

The Policy Of Substance Abuse In Liberia: Analysis And Recommendations, Yamah Dolo

Community Engagement Student Work

Countries all over the globe are affected by substance abuse. Substance abuse is a traumatic issue that people around the world battle. Substance use has occurred for many years and seems to keep increasing. According to Parekh, “Substance use disorder (SUD) is complex a condition in which there is uncontrolled use of a substance despite harmful consequence.” (Parekh, 2017). Substance abuse has a significant effect on health, an individual’s well-being, families, relationships, and the post-war community. However, with the information on Liberia, little is known about the substance abuse cases. Liberia is a country that has no health, and there …

Experiences Of Caregivers And Healthcare Practitioners Working With Children With Histories Of Family Trauma And Substance Abuse, Alexandra Contreras

OT Student Capstones

While the number of infants born with substance abuse exposure continues to grow, the United States lacks a national monitoring system (CDC, 2019). This may contribute to the discrepancy of services and supports available to those working with children with histories of family trauma and substance abuse. The purpose of this study was to investigate the needs and challenges of caregivers and healthcare practitioners working with children with histories of family trauma and substance abuse. To obtain a better understanding and well-rounded image of the challenges and needs, information was gathered from various perspectives of those involved. This OT doctoral …

A Comparison Of Populations: Formerly Incarcerated Men With Substance Use Disorder And Adolescent Psychiatric Patients, Jeanie Fairchild

OT Student Capstones

Aims of the project:

• Equip Maricopa Reentry Center (MRC) residents with life skills necessary for successful reentry.
• Utilize knowledge gained at MRC to teach life skills to adolescents patients at St. Luke’s Behavioral Center (SLBC).

Age Of First Drink, First Alcohol Intoxication, And Alcohol Abuse Behaviors Among Occupational Therapy Students, Randy P. Mccombie

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The purpose of the present study was to examine alcohol use behaviors among a national sample of occupational therapy students. Survey instruments, including the AUDIT and a checklist of risky and unprofessional behaviors related to alcohol abuse, were mailed to 1,000 occupational therapy students randomly selected from membership in the American Occupational Therapy Association. Surveys were returned by 309 student members; however, 24 indicated they were not currently occupational therapy students. Of the 285 participants, 97% reported drinking alcohol at some point over the previous year, with 1 in 5 drinking two or more times a week, often consuming four …

Evolution Of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History Of Marylou Wittmann, Otr/L, Elizabeth Hauck, Kimberly Harmelink

Oral History Posters

This life history is one of 31 life history interviews which are a part of a larger project, Life Histories of Individuals Who Have Been Influential in Developing Occupational Therapy (OT) in North Dakota and Wyoming. The purpose of the project is to gather information about the history and evolution of OT practice in North Dakota and Wyoming through life histories of individuals who have been influential in developing OT in these two states. It is anticipated that the life history process will be a powerful way to gather this information. This study is intended to provide current and future …

Understanding The Impact Of Substance Abuse On Occupation Using The Lifestyle History Questionnaire, Mikel Stone

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Substance abuse and addiction have become serious societal problems resulting in a myriad of health, personal and relational issues (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). Gutman (2006) reported that an individual involved in substance abuse and addiction may experience difficulty with purposeful time management and may neglect major life roles. The focus of this Capstone Project was to identify the occupational dysfunction experienced by individuals prior to participating in residential recovery programming.

Purpose: The purpose of this Capstone Project was to identify occupational dysfunction associated with substance abuse and addiction using the Lifestyle History Questionnaire (Martin et …

The Juvenile Addiction Risk Rating For Use In Vocational Rehabilitation, Paul Tyler Hickerson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of substance use among adolescents warrants considerable concern since it often has detrimental effects on an individual’s physical and mental health, and correlates with worsened Social, physical, and employment outcomes. Research shows that adolescents with disabilities are especially susceptible to the development of substance use disorders. To address this concern and to ensure accurate rehabilitation service planning, effective screening for substance use risk is necessary. Unfortunately, the most common screening instruments for adolescent substance use rely on information obtained solely from self-report. This type of data, although useful, is also susceptible to inaccuracies due to such factors as …

A Needs Assessment Of Occupation Based Services In A West Michigan Homeless Shelter From A Staff Perspective, Stephanie A. Ballard, Katie M. Deveneau, April D. Hemlock

Community Based

In this qualitative study, student researchers conducted one-on-one semi-structured interviews of individuals employed by a homeless shelter in West Michigan, posing questions related to the perceived need of occupation-based services for shelter recipients, and the efficacy of current services. Narratives were interpreted using thematic analysis, yielding themes related to the barriers faced by the shelter population, life skills of the shelter population, and services in place to provide for the needs of the shelter recipients. Authors concluded that shelter staff perceived a need for occupation-based services to engage the shelter population in meaningful occupations, particularly relating to leisure, education and …

An Analysis Of Treatment Retention And Attrition In An Australian Therapeutic Community For Substance Abuse Treatment, Mark Robert Porter

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Research undertaken in the last three decades has consistently reported that the length of time spent in inpatient and outpatient alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment programs predicts treatment success (De Leon, Melnick, Kressel, & Jainchill, 1994; Hubbard, Craddock, & Anderson, 2003; Simpson, Joe, Fletcher, Hubbard, & Anglin, 1999). However, treatment attrition rates are high and present a major problem for improving treatment outcomes. Various factors that have been reportedly associated with increased AOD treatment attrition rates include being female, younger clients, clients using methamphetamines, and clients with elevated psychopathology scores. The aim of this thesis is to improve understanding …

Influences On Job Retention Among Homeless Persons With Substance Abuse Or Psychiatric Disabilities, Russell K. Schutt, Norman C. Hursh

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Job retention is an important psychosocial rehabilitation goal, but one that is not often achieved. We investigate facilitators of and barriers to employment retention among homeless individuals with psychiatric and substance abuse diagnoses who were re-interviewed eight or more years after participating in a traditional vocational rehabilitation program. Most program graduates who maintained employment had secured social support from a variety of sources; personal motivation was also a critical element in job retention and compensated in some cases for an absence of social support. Both the availability of social support contacts and personal motivation influenced likelihood of maintaining sobriety. Physical …