Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

D.A.D.S. Club: Pilot Study Outcomes Of A 5-Week Parenting Program For Fathers In Recovery From Substance Use Disorder, Oaklee Rogers, Kristin Riordan, Elaina Corbin, Shannon Forman, Kara Grace Zahariades, Andrea Clemens, Keely Mcdowell

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Over 44 million adults have a substance use disorder, with approximately two million children living with a parent with this disorder. Approximately 40% to 60% of men who receive treatment have a child under 18 years of age. However, most parenting programs are developed and implemented for mothers with addiction, leaving fathers without this fundamental knowledge and skills.

Method: A pilot study using a longitudinal interventional study was conducted to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of an occupational therapy-developed program for fathers in recovery. Pre and post surveys, including the Parenting Sense of Competence, were collected from the …

Sensory Processing And Sleep In Infants And Toddlers In Health Provider Shortage Areas - A Cohort Study, Bryan M. Gee, Nicki L. Aubuchon-Endsley

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: This study delves into the interplay between sleep quality and sensory processing in infants and toddlers in underserved rural areas in the U.S. Despite established links between these variables in typically developing children, limited research explores this relationship in communities facing elevated rates of mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders.

Methods: We aimed to examine the connections between sensory processing at 10, 14, and 18 months postpartum and sleep quality at 18 months in a rural and medically underserved setting. A total of 44-53 participants completed the questionnaire and survey measures at the specified time points.

Results: Utilizing the Infant …

Perspectives Of School-Based Occupational Therapists, Hannah Smiles, Charlie Mechling, Steven D. Taff, Lauren E. Milton

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: In the United States, schools are the second largest employer of occupational therapists (AOTA, 2020a). While research on school-based topics exist, to date there is no comprehensive study on school-based occupational therapy (OT) practice. The purpose of this study was to describe current implementation of the school-based OT process and better understand perspectives of school-based occupational therapists.

Methods: This descriptive study consisted of a researcher-developed survey with open- and close-ended demographic and practical questions related to the school-based OT process. A convenience sample of school-based occupational therapists were recruited with a snowball recruitment strategy via email and …

Guidelines For Conducting Survey Research: Part 2 – Administration And Analysis, Rob Lyerla, Diane Powers Dirette

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

In the Fall 2024 issue of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT), the letter from the editor discussed the background of survey research and introduced the readers to a guideline for conducting research with a focus on survey development and recruitment of participants (Dirette & Lyerla, 2024). In this issue, we are following up with Part 2, which focuses on administering a survey and analyzing the results. We hope you find these guidelines useful for conducting quality survey research.

Research Day 2025 Program, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School Of Medicine

Research Day

No abstract provided.

Expanding Realities: Augmented Reality Exposure Therapy For Trauma And Beyond, Mackenzie Jenuwine M.A., Madeleine Reardon M.A.

Great Lakes Regional Counseling Psychology Conference

This symposium explores Augmented Reality Exposure Therapy (ARET) for the treatment of trauma and stressor-related disorders. We define ARET and discuss the unique ability to target the social deficits of trauma, providing an example of a population in which social isolation can increase the risk of suicide.

Building Blocks For New Kinship Partnerships And Coalitions, Kathy L. Dial, Daniel J. Koltz, Janet Salo, Erin Beasley

GrandFamilies: The Contemporary Journal of Research, Practice and Policy

Building successful kinship partnerships and coalitions requires intentional effort to establish trust, align goals, and foster inclusivity. These collaborations are essential for addressing the unique and evolving needs of kinship families, who often face limited access to resources due to the informal nature of many caregiving arrangements. Effective partnerships prioritize clear missions, open communication, and active engagement with stakeholders, particularly those with lived experiences such as kinship caregivers. Research demonstrates that coordinated efforts among organizations enhance resource availability, improve advocacy capabilities, and strengthen service delivery. By integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion principles, coalitions can ensure that diverse perspectives shape solutions …

Art, Nature, And Occupational Therapy In The Arctic Circle, Erin Barrus

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Even Edvardsen, a Norwegian occupational therapist and artist, provided the cover art for the Winter 2025 issue of the Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “Loppa 1” is a 60 x 80 oil on canvas that shares a glimpse into living in the Arctic Circle. It is the first in a series of 10 variations of the island of Loppa, a small island off the coast of Norway, further north of Tromsø. Even’s paintings are what he calls meditations on nature and everyday moments; he invites viewers to slow down and reconnect with the world around them. In today’s fast-paced …

Addressing The Needs Of Jewish Clients And Students Through A Trauma-Informed Approach, Amiya Waldman-Levi, Robin Akselrud, Zahava L. Friedman, Lola Halperin, Shifra K. Leiser, Rivka Molinsky

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The worldwide Jewish community is notoriously nomadic because of persecution and displacement through several millennia. The diasporic experience of global Jewish communities led to traumatic events such as historical expulsion and genocide. These experiences embody all five components of occupational injustice. The recent rise in antisemitism has triggered intergenerational trauma among individuals, families, and communities. This paper, grounded in trauma-based research, aims to guide occupational therapists treating Jewish clients and/or teaching Jewish students. The paper outlines trauma-informed implications for therapist-client collaboration in the context of supporting occupational justice for diverse populations. The distinct role of occupational therapists in effectively serving …

Openness To Critique Is Essential, Brenda L. Beagan, Niki Kiepek, Heidi Lauckner, Paula W. Rushton

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

Establishing Reliability And Validity For A Professional Development Tool For Graduate Health Care Programs, Lisa Handler, Amiya Waldman-Levi

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Professional development ensures practitioners develop the necessary skills to succeed in multifaceted clinical roles. To provide evidence-based best practices, health practitioners need to possess critical thinking, executive functioning, and emotional intelligence skills. Study aimed to establish psychometric properties to the Inventory of Professional and Academic Reasoning (IPAR). Two cross-sectional studies of reliability and validity were used. The participants included 139 health profession students, of which 93 students participated in the first study and 46 occupational therapy students participated in the second study. Data were collected online and at fieldwork sites using a background questionnaire, IPAR, Executive Function Index, and the …

From Theory To Practice: Integrating Safe Patient Handling And Mobility Into Occupational Therapy Curriculum (Part 2/2), Kimberly Santorufo, Asha Roy

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy academic institutions continue to teach manual patient handling as the standard of practice despite recent evidence, legislation, and guidelines from the American Occupational Therapy Association on hazards of manual approaches. A paradigm shift is necessary in occupational therapy academic curriculums to include didactic education and hands-on training of safe patient handling and mobility informed approaches. There is currently no standard of practice available in occupational therapy education on how to incorporate safe patient handling and mobility into preexisting curriculum, which emphasizes manual patient handling as the standard of care. The guidelines presented offer academic institutions recommendations on how …

From Theory To Practice: Integrating Safe Patient Handling And Mobility Into Occupational Therapy Curriculum (Part 1/2), Kimberly Santorufo, Asha Roy

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists are at high-risk of musculoskeletal injury because of the manual and physical demands of job-related tasks. Many occupational therapists are sustaining injuries or changing careers because of an injury. Safe patient handling and mobility approaches should be used in occupational therapy practice to ensure the safety of both patient and therapist while assisting patients in meeting occupation-based and patient-centered goals. However, despite legislation, guidelines from the American Occupational Therapy Association, and recent evidence, most occupational therapy academic programs and educators continue to teach manual patient handling as the standard of practice. To ensure safety, longevity, and career-retention, academic …

Professional Behaviors As Forced Assimilation: A Critical Reflection On The U.S. History Of Education And Beyond, Quinn P. Tyminski, Karla Reese, Linn Wakeford

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Historically, education has been used as a mechanism of assimilation for marginalized identities in the United States, demanding conformity to the dominant culture and society. The occupational therapy (OT) profession is not immune and must examine and understand how our educational systems have erected and maintained barriers designed to exclude people from historically minoritized communities through the lens of professional behaviors. Professionalism and professional behaviors are not well-defined constructs in OT, and there is significant variability among educational institutions in how professional behavior standards are written, communicated, and applied. There is significant inconsistency across OT educational programs in the US …

An Academic Self-Regulation Program For First-Generation Students In Occupational Therapy: A Preexperimental Study, Pola Ham

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

First-generation students at U.S. universities have lower academic performance than their continuing-generation counterparts. They also have a lower level of academic self-regulation and academic self-efficacy. Bandura’s social cognition theory and Zimmerman’s self-regulation theory were used as theoretical frameworks to guide an intervention program relating to self-efficacy and self-regulation. A pretest and posttest survey measured changes in the participants’ use of the academic self-regulatory strategies and level of confidence in using those strategies. An open-ended questionnaire provided a detailed account of the participants’ lived experiences of the program. The researcher-facilitator designed an academic self-regulation program using Zimmerman’s (1998) self-regulated learning framework …

Comprehensive Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema Management Programs Addressing Both Psychosocial And Physical Needs: A Scoping Review, Amanda Wheeler, Claudine Campbell, Chenchen Cui

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause of female cancer worldwide, which can lead to many negative sequelae, with up to a third of women developing breast cancer-related lymphedema. Breast cancer-related lymphedema requires chronic maintenance and is associated with worse physical and mental health outcomes compared to women without lymphedema. Occupational therapists are well-positioned to address the complex needs of women with breast cancer-related lymphedema. This review aimed to identify existing research that reports outcomes of lymphedema management programs addressing both physical and mental health needs of women with breast cancer-related lymphedema.

Method: A scoping review was conducted …

Linking The International Classification Of Functioning, Disability And Health (Icf) To Occupational Therapy Skilled Nursing Home Interventions, Janel Anne Belarmino, Laura Novak, Vanessa D. Jewell

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Rehabilitation practitioners use the ICF as a framework to guide clinical decision-making, demonstrate the focus of interventions, and bridge interprofessional communication. The aim of this study was to examine occupational therapy interventions implemented with older adults for short term rehabilitation in skilled nursing facilities and link the interventions to the ICF.

Method: Through secondary analysis of previously collected field notes of skilled nursing facility occupational therapy interventions, the researchers linked 60 interventions to 133 third level ICF categories.

Results: Of the 133 categories, 62% (n = 82) were linked to Activities and Participation, 23% (n = 31) were …

The Lived Experience Of Therapists During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study Using Photovoice Methodology, Alison De La Montaigne, Catana Brown, Sarah A. Anderson, Tamara Turner

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of therapists during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: A qualitative phenomenological design using photovoice methodology for collecting data was used (Wang & Burris, 1997). The study participants included twelve therapists. Using photovoice methodology, the participants used a picture to represent their experience and wrote an accompanying narrative to address the question, “How has COVID-19 impacted your life?” Thematic analysis was used to code and develop themes for the participant photovoices and the virtual focus group transcripts (Braun & Clark, 2006). Zoom was used as the virtual platform for the virtual …

An Occupational Therapy Work-Self-Efficacy Intervention For Lgbtq+ Young People In Transitional Housing, Emily K. Simpson, Monika I. Robinson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) young people who are unhoused experience barriers transitioning into adult roles and responsibilities which negatively impacts workforce participation.

Methods: The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the impact of a work self-efficacy intervention on self-efficacy and goal attainment in LGBTQ+ young people at a transitional living facility (TLF). Nine residents and three staff participated in this convergent mixed methods design investigating a work intervention.

Results: The total median score on the General Self-Efficacy Scale (p = 0.042) and the Work Self-Efficacy Scale (p = 0.043) …

How Acute Care And Inpatient Occupational Therapists Describe Their Experiences With Secondary Traumatic Stress, Julie Suto, Ashley E. Lane, Rocio Torres, Emily K. Simpson

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The primary purpose of this research was to explore how occupational therapists in acute care and inpatient rehabilitation settings describe their experiences of secondary traumatic stress (STS).

Methods: Researchers used a convergent parallel mixed methods design. Electronic surveys (n = 181) and qualitative data collection through interviews (n = 6) and a focus group (n = 3) were used. Qualitative data were analyzed with content analysis, and quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Both data sets were compared to identify patterns.

Results: Five main categories were identified: (a) supports to worker role, (b) barriers to worker role, (c) …

A Multisensory, Interdisciplinary Approach To Visual Neglect For Enhancement Of Visual Attention Following Basal Ganglia Hemorrhage: A Case Report, Leah G. Allan

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: This case report provides a review of the medical background and inpatient rehabilitation course of a 41-year-old female presenting with right basal ganglia hematoma in the setting of hypertension and polysubstance use. Emphasis is placed on analysis and discussion of the interdisciplinary, multisensory therapy approaches used to address her visual neglect and homonymous hemianopia.

Method: Single-patient case report

Results: On the Disability Rating Scale, the patient’s score improved from a Day 16 score of 10 to a Day 58 score of 7. On the Modified Barthel Index, her performance improved from a Day 16 score of …

Psychosocial Occupational Therapy Interventions For Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Scoping Review, Sabina Khan, Christianah Edema

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: We aimed to examine the psychosocial interventions used by occupational therapists in managing pediatric TBI, and to identify unique psychosocial needs in this population.

Methods: The scoping review was guided by Arksey and O'Malley's framework. Four databases were searched for relevant studies namely: Embase (Elsevier), Medline (PubMed), Cochrane Library, and PsycNet. Included studies were studies written in English reporting on psychosocial interventions for pediatric TBI by occupational therapists and/or the psychosocial needs of children with TBI.

Results: The search identified 13 relevant studies published from 2006 to 2020. Multiple psychosocial interventions were pinpointed in these studies, …

Exploring The Relationship Between Handwriting Legibility And Praxis In Third And Fourth Grade Students, Denise K. Donica, Larymi Beck, Kathryn Mumford

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background. Research suggests praxis and sensory integration contributes to handwriting legibility in primary students. However, little research has demonstrated performance-based measures of praxis and its relationship to handwriting legibility. This study examined performance-based praxis skills of third and fourth grade students with and without handwriting difficulties (HD).

Method: Handwriting legibility and praxis were examined in 33 third and fourth grade students at a local primary school using the Handwriting Legibility Scale and five praxis tests from the Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration. Participants were categorized into two groups based on their handwriting legibility scores: students with HD (n = 6) …

State Of The Journal: The Importance Of Human Occupation, Diane Powers Dirette

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

Neurodivergent Experiences In Communication Sciences And Disorders Programs As Reflected In Reddit, Shadha Al Kalbani

Honors Theses

By definition, neurodivergent students are those whose brain function differs significantly from societal expectations (Walker, 2014). The term ‘neurodivergent’ is associated with the Neurodiversity Movement. Although the Neurodiversity Movement was spearheaded by the Autistic1 community, the term commonly includes other forms of neurodivergence such as ADHD and dyslexia. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of neurodivergent students in Communication Sciences Disorders (CSD) programs, where systematic data on their demographics and experience is relatively limited. Specifically, this study analysed posts from the online social media platform Reddit that are dedicated to the college experience of neurodivergent students …

Natural Medicine Use In Costa Rica, Elizabeth Krol

Honors Theses

This study explores the role of natural medicine in Costa Rican culture, while focusing on its historical, cultural, and clinical significance. With a literature review, ethnobotanical research, and a study abroad experience, this paper highlights the integration of natural, herbal medicine into modern healthcare. Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity, with its varied microclimates and abundant medicinal plants, forms a strong foundation for traditional herbal medicine. Indigenous groups such as the BriBri and Cabécar contributed significantly to this legacy, which has evolved through interactions with European and Afro-Caribbean populations.

Research emphasizes the cultural importance of herbal medicine within the “Pura Vida” lifestyle, …

Perceptions And Attitudes Of Western Michigan University Students On Antibiotic Medications, Emily Boask

Honors Theses

On a global scale, antibiotic resistance is a threat to public health. The causes of antibiotic resistance are multifaceted, including healthcare providers overprescribing antibiotics, antibiotic overuse in farming and food production, and antibiotic misuse or malpractices. The public recognizes antibiotic resistance as a significant problem but there are serious knowledge gaps regarding antibiotic resistance and antibiotic stewardship.

University students are a particularly important subpopulation of the public to understand appropriate antibiotic use because many of these individuals are navigating their health concerns on their own for the first time. Many individuals believe that antibiotics can improve cold symptoms, upper respiratory …

Ethics Of Ai In The Classroom, Kyle Kos

Honors Theses

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly evolving and is increasingly being used in classrooms. Several different forms of artificial intelligence have gained popularity within the past, one form of AI with widespread use in the classroom is Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT). This paper explores how the recent surge of popularity of ChatGPT has caused concerns of ethical use in the classroom. Additionally, this paper explores the capabilities and strategies for students to use AI, specifically in nursing.

ChatGPT can offer extraordinary resources to students through capabilities such as essay writing and editing, generation of answers to questions instantly from a vast …

Public Health Implications Of State-Level Public Health Organizational And System Structures, Cameron Ferguson Hays

Dissertations

Public health thought leaders such as the Institute of Medicine and National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine have long been concerned about the lack of standardization among state-level public health systems (IOM, 1988; NASEM, 2023). However, little research studies these systems, their structures, and whether structural constructs affect population health outcomes.

This study attempted to examine the structural constructs that make up these systems and the impact of those constructs using an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design. Variables from management science were qualitatively extracted from materials describing all 50 state-level public health systems. Those variables were then analyzed using a …

Intelligent Health Monitoring Systems Via Flexible Hybrid Electronics And Machine Learning, Masoud Panahi

Dissertations

Advanced data analytics approaches, such as artificial intelligence (AI), are increasingly being integrated into all aspects of patient care. This integration is paving the way for minimally invasive or non-invasive treatment modalities. By combining recent advancements in fabrication technology and computing ingenuity, wearable devices now enable continuous health monitoring and provide data for AI-driven analysis. These intelligent devices seamlessly integrate with the Internet of Things (IoT), enabling remote or “at-home” patient monitoring.

This dissertation study investigates the integration of recent advancements in flexible hybrid electronics (FHE) and machine learning (ML) to develop intelligent health monitoring systems. The developed FHE-based health …