Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

El Baloncesto Es Vida: A Look Into Strength And Conditioning, Physical Therapy, And Coaching During My Internship Abroad, Jessica Doublesin

Health, Human Performance and Recreation Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction: An experience abroad can help a person grow in confidence and knowledge and allow them to immerse themselves in a new culture. During my time in Valencia, Spain, I was able to work at a youth basketball club, CB L’Horta Godella, alongside the club’s strength and conditioning coaches and the physical therapist and be a coach for the young athletes. The fact that I lived with a Spanish family and had an open mindset towards making friends and exploring new things allowed me to grow closer to the culture in Spain. By using my knowledge and passion for sports …

Physical Inactivity: A Behavioral Disorder In The Physical Therapist’S Scope Of Practice, Matthieu P. Boisgontier, Maura D. Iversen

SHU Faculty Publications

In health, the gold standard is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.This state is weakened by physical inactivity, which involves a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, depression, and obesity. Moreover, 6% to 10% of all deaths from non-communicable diseases worldwide can be attributed to physical inactivity. These adverse effects of physical activity provide evidence that physically active individuals are closer to the gold standard of health than inactive individuals. Therefore, physical activity – not inactivity – should be the standard reference behavior. In this framework, physical inactivity is a clinically significant disturbance in an …

Physiological Responses & Coping Strategies Of Sensory Defensive Adults, Benjamin Cohen, Alexandria Donaldson, Jenny Park-Chan, Jessica Valenzuela

Occupational Therapy | MSOT Capstone Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to learn how adults cope with their sensory defensiveness (SD) and how physiological responses differ between adults who self-report as high SD versus low SD. Methods: In this continuation study participants (age 18-64; n=23) were categorized as low SD (control group; n=9) or high SD (experimental group; n=14) via their Adolescent Adult Sensory Profile (AASP) scores and Sensory Response Questionnaire (SRQ) scores (Brown, & Dunn, 2002 & Wilbarger, 2009). The last nine participants also completed the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ). All participants partook in the sensory challenge protocol which examined their electrodermal activity …

Attrition In A Holistic Job Skills Training Program: A Qualitative Study, Jeaniece Silas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Today thousands of individuals and families are unemployed or underemployed and are seeking ways to combat poverty and become employed. One way that individuals seek to gain employment is by attending job skills training and adult education programs. However, there are barriers that hinder those individuals from successfully completing the programs. The purpose of this study is to explore the experience of applicants of a nonprofit job skills training program called FaithWorks and explore the reasons why applicants were not able to continue and, or complete the program. This study was conducted, through qualitative interviewing of four participants (N=4) utilizing …

Promoting Resilience In Self-Management (Prism): Adverse Childhood Experiences And Impacts On Emotion Regulation, Kasey Ann Macedo

Honors Scholar Theses

PRISM (Promoting Resilience in Self-Management) is a mindfulness-based intervention that aims to strengthen emotion regulation skills among individuals by employing cognitive behavioral therapy components. The purpose of the current study is to identify the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depression, as well as to examine the changes in emotion regulation strategies of participants by comparing pre and post test data. The participants were voluntarily recruited from the Cornerstone Foundation, a homeless shelter, food pantry, and community center in Vernon, CT. The 13 participants completed PRISM through four weeks of two-hour workshop sessions in a small-group format. Results indicate …

An Occupational Therapy Approach To Education For Foster Parents, Alexandra E. Judd

Student Capstone Papers

The focus of this project is to enhance current programming for foster parent pre-licensure education courses in San Diego, California. This capstone project focused on the preferred learning styles of foster parents and utilized adult learning theories to create suggestions to enhance the current pre-licensure class curriculum. Data collected during verbal interviews with foster parents helped guide the suggestions to enhance the current curriculum. Utilizing specific occupational therapy group strategies, occupational therapists can help enhance education for foster parents by increasing the saliency of the learning material. The increased saliency facilitates a deeper understanding of the material and increases the …

Giving Credence To The Experience Of X-Linked Hypophosphatemia In Adulthood: An Interprofessional Mixed-Methods Study, Melissa Hughes, Carolyn Macica, Catherine Meriano, Maya Doyle

Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews

Purpose: X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is a rare X-linked dominant metabolic bone disease, often diagnosed in childhood but causing increasing physical debilitation and pain in adulthood. Physical comorbidities of XLH in adulthood include pervasive and early-onset degenerative arthritis, mineralizing enthesophytes and osteophytes, osteomalacia and pseudofracture, dental abscesses, and hearing loss.

Methods: This mixed-methods analysis included physical findings, diagnostic imaging, occupational and physical therapy assessments, and semi-structured interviews by social work to understand the functional outcomes and lived experience of XLH in adulthood, through connections between qualitative data obtained by social work and occupational therapy with the quantitative findings from other disciplines. …

Perceived Impact Of Non-Contact Boxing On Daily Life And Occupational Participation At Home Among Individuals With Parkinson's Disease, Kristen E. Bignal

Student Capstone Papers

The aim of this project was to determine whether individuals with Parkinson's disease perceive an impact on their daily life and occupational participation at home secondary to participation in non-contact boxing.

Semi-structured open-ended interview questions were conducted with 17 participants (3 female) who have been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease for(i.e., self-care, home and health maintenance, sleep, intimacy, social and leisure interests, etc.) in the home environment. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed utilizing thematic analysis.

Data analysis derived three overarching themes including psychological benefits, sense of community, and framework to develop routines. Subsequent research exploring how non-contact boxing directly impacts specific …

Leadership Roles In The Field Of Occupational Therapy, Christina Pitts

Student Capstone Papers

The idea of this capstone project was to learn about leadership through expertise and experience. The first portion of the project consisted of reviewing the literature and interviewing four occupational therapists that currently have a leadership role within the healthcare industry to gain insight into leadership qualities. The second potion included being at a facility (Advent Therapy in Richmond Hill, G.A.) for 14 weeks to observe and learn about current programs, and with the guidance of the therapists and management of the facility, develop and implement a program that was deemed to be beneficial to the client population.

Inclusion In Religion And Spirituality For Children With Special Needs, Mackinzie C. Weiss

Student Capstone Papers

The proposed vision of this capstone project will focus on using occupational therapy interventions to help a local church be more inclusive to children and families with special needs. This capstone project will partner with a pre-existing special needs program to develop evidence based volunteer training, implement a parent respite program, and introduce a movement based program.

An Occupational Therapy Approach To Education For Foster Parents, Alexandra E. Judd, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill

Spring 2020 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The focus of this project is to enhance current programming for foster parent pre-licensure education courses in San Diego, California. This capstone project focused on the preferred learning styles of foster parents and utilized adult learning theories to create suggestions to enhance the current pre-licensure class curriculum. Data collected during verbal interviews with foster parents helped guide the suggestions to enhance the current curriculum. Utilizing specific occupational therapy group strategies, occupational therapists can help enhance education for foster parents by increasing the saliency of the learning material. The increased saliency facilitates a deeper understanding of the material and increases the …

Training Evaluation For Introductory Ocean Lifeguard Instruction: A Practical Example From California, William A. Koon, Ryan M. Gates, Jack Futoran

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Ocean lifeguards have several responsibilities that require precise training. California State Parks is one of the largest providers of open water lifeguard services in the United States, and trains approximately 200 new lifeguards per year. As part of our lifeguard training section’s quality improvement efforts, we conducted a training needs assessment to help determine how well our introductory ocean lifeguard training curriculum prepared lifeguards to perform job related tasks upon successful completion of the training program. We surveyed both first year and seasoned lead lifeguards on operational needs, training gaps, and specific subject areas. We identified several areas where our …

Increasing Employment Success: Helping Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities At Friends Life Improve Job Readiness Skills, Madeleine Ruff

OTD Capstone Projects

This poster discusses a class developed for adults with developmental disabilities that focuses on job readiness skills and successful employment within the community. The class focuses on three different sections including job exploration, preparing to get a job and maintaining employment. Each section includes resources such as worksheets, visuals & activities that are appropriate for varying cognitive levels of the friends to facilitate participation in each section. At the end of the class, the adults at Friends Life will have identified job interests, developed personal resume/vision statements and learned about appropriate behaviors to display at both interviews and employment site.

Aquatic Therapy Interventions And Disability: A Recreational Therapy Perspective, Jason Scott, Angela Wozencroft, Vincenzo Nocera, Kelsey Webb, Jodi Anderson, Avery Blankenburg, Darrien Watson, Sophie Lowe

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Aquatic therapy interventions are critical for individuals with disabilities and the role of the therapist is just as critical for successful and effective interventions. The field of therapeutic recreation trains students to develop and implement evidence-based facilitation techniques including the use of aquatic therapy to assist in helping clients achieve a change in functional status. This review of the literature examined the impact of aquatic therapy interventions on a variety of disabilities including osteoarthritis, multiple sclerosis, Cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder, and mental health from a recreational therapy (RT) perspective. This review provides a variety of information on the positive …

Effectiveness Of An Intensive Drowning Prevention Program And Skills Retention By Children With And Without Disabilities, Anna L. Forde Otd, Otr/L, Ctrs, Emily A. Zeman Otd, Ms, Otr/L, Lynn Clarke

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

This study examined the effectiveness of a drowning prevention program and the retention of swimming and water safety skills for 3-14 year-old children with and without disabilities. The intensive program, SWIM Central, used a top-down approach to teach 6 swimming and water safety skills during 10, 30-minute sessions. A post-participation parent survey results suggested that children ages 3-14 with and without disabilities who had previously participated in SWIM Central retained swimming and water safety skills to a similar degree. The current swim skill assessments showed that there was not an overall difference in swim skill performance in the presence of …

2019/2020 Lrsp: Ricardo Andres Pimentel, Ricardo Andres Pimentel

Library Research Scholars Program

Decades of constant wars have produced millions of military personnel returning home after their stints protecting their country. Though many of these military members are able to fully reintegrate into society, a significant minority return with psychical and psychological difficulties. Included in this vast list of difficulties is Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This disorder is particularly endemic to military populations, and although numerous treatment modalities are available to veterans with PTSD, they are not all effective for every individual. Thus, numerous grassroots and private organizations have been working to pair veterans with service dogs for the treatment of PTSD. …

From Isolation To Communication: Connecting Adults Who Have Hearing Loss With Their Communication Partners, Stephen D. Roberts, Nancy A. Delich

JADARA

As Baby Boomers enter the late adulthood stage of life, hearing loss continues to be one of the most prevalent, chronic, and isolating conditions facing older adults today. Research has focused on the negative consequences of hearing loss on the health and the person’s well-being, but it is equally important to recognize that hearing loss also leads to communication loss. The resulting social isolation and the collateral effects of hearing loss on the communication partner are the focus of this mixed-method study that explored the hearing loss-related quality of life for both parties. Five overarching themes emerged from the analysis, …

The Applicability Of Occupational Therapy To Correctional Programming, Jordan Lanning

Honors Projects

Correctional facilities are a controversial topic in the United States. Whether it is prison reform policy or overcrowding issues that are being debated in a political setting or at the dinner table, it is a hot topic of conversation. The discussion goes around and around to no avail, and seemingly no one is satisfied. A detailed look at current issues facing corrections, what has been done, and then, potentially what could be done may provide some clarity for a situation that is seemingly spinning out of control. Furthermore, occupational therapy and its application to correctional programming is explored as a …

Hiring Individuals In Addiction Recovery: Characteristics, Levels Of Concern And Willingness, Alicia B. Becton, Sara Werner Juarez, Roy K. Chen

School of Rehabilitation Services & Counseling Faculty Publications

Research suggests employment is a key factor in an individual’s recovery and employer’s views have historically limited opportunities for highly marginalized groups. Objectives: This study provides an analysis of views among employers regarding the hiring of individuals in addiction recovery. Methods: A convenience sample of 382 employers affiliated with the chambers of commerce was recruited to participate in this study. The authors used descriptive and inferential statistical methods to analyze data received through an online questionnaire. Results: The results suggest gender influences the views of employers to hire individuals in recovery. Women are more likely to hire individuals in recovery …

Functional Sitting Skill Development, Sitting Posture And The Relationship To Object Permanence In Infants With Motor Delays, Karl Jancart, Jessica Spirnak, Claire Boe, Amber Delprince, Regina Harbourne

Graduate Student Research Symposium

Functional Sitting Skill Development, Sitting Posture and the Relationship to Object Permanence in Infants with Motor Delays

Early in development, infant movement allows exploration and manipulation of objects, which builds cognition. Object permanence, the ability to understand that objects exist when they cannot be seen, is a cognitive construct developed in infancy, and has been shown to relate to early motor development, specifically self-mobility. However, the development of sitting may also contribute to building cognition through object understanding. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship of functional sitting skill development, measured by a standardized clinical test (Gross …

Graduate Occupational Therapy Students & Information Literacy: Does A Research Consultation Increase Information Literacy Skills While Lowering Library Anxiety?, Mary C. Rickelman, Christine Moghimi

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

In today’s academic environment, students equipped with self-regulated learning and information literacy skills have an excellent opportunity for professional success, given our current information-based practices in health care. Information literacy instruction provided to students early in their coursework will aide them in acquiring competency for the remainder of their studies, especially scholarly projects. Along with information literacy issues, library anxiety has been identified in the literature as a contributing factor to poor academic performance in students. The purpose of this study was to explore components of library anxiety, if present, as well as to help students become more comfortable and …

The Use Of Urine Drug Testing For Risk Stratification And Efficacious Drug Monitoring In Pain Management Settings, Ahmad I. Hasan, Kareem Elhage, Brendan Farley, Khaled J. Saleh

Medical Student Research Symposium

Objective: To understand the current landscape of urine drug testing (UDT) guidelines as part of risk assessment for opioid abuse, and to offer recommendations towards adopting universal screening guidelines.

Background: There has been an opioid epidemic within the United States, and the role of prescription opioids has been well established. Despite proposed recommendations, there has yet to be a published universal screening guideline on the use of UDT in the setting of opioid abuse risk stratification as well as postoperative drug monitoring.

Methods: We explored current guidelines for UDT on two levels. First, we explore general indications for UDT within …

Incapacité Due À Un Trouble Musculosquelettique : Les Inquiétudes Liées À L'Environnement De Travail, Marie-France Coutu, Marie-José Durand, Iuliana Nastasia, Fergal O'Hagan, Patrick Gosselin, Marie-Élise Labrecque, Sara Pettigrew, Djamal Berbiche

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Environ une personne sur trois dans le monde vivrait avec un trouble musculosquelettique (TMS) persistant. Plusieurs auteurs soulignent l’influence significative des facteurs psychosociaux, dont l’anxiété, sur le développement de l’incapacité prolongée. Associées à l’anxiété, des inquiétudes excessives ont été documentées chez des travailleurs ayant une douleur persistante d’origine musculosquelettique. Les inquiétudes ne favorisent pas l’adaptation en contexte d’une situation problématique. Cependant, aucune étude n’a jusqu’à présent tenté de comprendre ces inquiétudes, en lien avec l’environnement de travail. Une meilleure compréhension de ce phénomène semble un incontournable pour offrir une action mieux ciblée aux travailleurs ayant une incapacité au travail prolongée. …

Distality Of Attentional Focus And Its Role In Postural Balance Control, Christian Kupper, Karen Roemer, Elizabeth Jusko, Karen Zentgraf

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of Education and Professional Studies

The role of attentional focusing in motor tasks has been highlighted frequently. The “internal–external” dimension has emerged, but also the spatial distance between body and attended location. In two experiments, an extended attentional focus paradigm was introduced to investigate distality effects of attentional foci on balance performance. First, the distality of the coordinates of the point of focus was varied between a proximal and distal position on an artificial tool attached to the body. Second, the distance of the displayed effect on the wall was varied between a 2.5 and 5 m condition. Subjects were instructed to focus on controlling …

Parents Of Children With Physical Impairments And Their Relationship With Intervention Team Members: A Case Study, Patti Calk

Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration

Aim. Historically, parents of children with disabilities report mixed views of their relationship with their children’s intervention team. The author was interested in ascertaining reasons for positive and negative interactions and ways to improve collaboration and teamwork.

Methods. A qualitative study was conducted utilizing interviews with three mothers of children considered multi-handicapped. The subjects were chosen from a purposive, convenience sample. Data was coded into recurrent themes.

Results. Mothers of children with disabilities indicated that the attitude of the professionals, communication among team members, and listening behaviors contribute to the formation of a positive or negative parent-professional …

Examining Group Differences In Emotion Regulation Strategies And The State And Trait Anxiety Of Lifeguards And Non-Lifeguards In A Real-World Precompetitive Situation, Hannah Calverley, Dr Paul Davis, Dr Jack Harvey, Dr Christopher Mesagno

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences, between swimmer-lifeguards and swimmer-non-lifeguards, in trait and state anxiety and emotion regulation techniques in a real-life precompetitive situation with a secondary focus on gender differences. The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Sport Anxiety Scale – 2 and the Mental Readiness Form – 3 were distributed to 100 participants at university swimming competitions in the United Kingdom. Swimmer-lifeguards displayed significantly lower cognitive (p=.03) and somatic state (p=.05) anxiety and cognitive trait anxiety (p=.02) than swimmer-non-lifeguards. Males reported significantly lower levels of cognitive and somatic trait anxiety (ppp=.01); no …

The Effects Of Group Music Therapy On Levels Of Anxiety, Depression, Well-Being, Functional Disability, And Distress In Adult Congolese Refugees, Elise Hawkes

SMU Journal of Undergraduate Research

Refugees have a variety of mental health needs due to their experiences, including trauma, anxiety, and depression. Psychotherapy, one of the main modalities for treatment, presents limitations including language barriers and negative stigmas. Music therapy might help to overcome these limitations due to its reliance upon music, rather than verbal language, as the therapeutic medium, and due to music’s ubiquitous cultural prevalence. Music therapy has been shown to have positive effects on sleep quality, well-being, trauma symptoms, social function, and mood. Music therapy training and research results have demonstrated ways to connect with clients through music and overcome cross-cultural barriers. …

Loss Of Self In Dissociation In Prostitution; Recovery Of Self In Connection To Horses: A Survivor's Journey, Sandra Norak

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This narrative is about dissociation in the lives of women who have been exploited through prostitution. When we speak about prostitution, we do not speak often enough about the dissociation needed for women and girls to survive sexual exploitation. The author challenges the wisdom of governments such as Germany that legalize prostitution, treating it as a “job” and ignoring the violence and subsequent dissociation in women. The author describes her personal journey, explaining how women are traumatized even after the first commercial sex act, which is a sexual assault. They dissociate which makes their lives bearable, but they fail to …

Scoping Review Of Interventions To Promote Social Participation In Adolescents And Young Adults With Neurodisability, Conall O'Rourke, Mark Linden, Gary Bedell

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Social participation, described as taking part in, being involvement and engaged with, and doing or being with others, is an important health outcome. Adolescents and young adults with neurodisability are often restricted in their social participation, particularly if they experience social and executive functioning challenges. A scoping review was conducted to examine interventions aimed at improving social participation in adolescents and young adults with neurodisability characterized by these challenges.

Method: The scoping review included peer-reviewed empirical studies published from 1990 to 2016 that employed psychosocial interventions to improve social participation in young people 13 to 24 years …

Temple Stay As Transformative Travel: An Experience Of The Buddhist Temple Stay Program In Korea, Susan L. Ross, Jungyun (Christine) Hur, Jamie Hoffman

Journal of Tourism Insights

The burgeoning tourism niche called temple stay, which originated in Korea, has been marketed to Koreans and internationals as a means for travelers to become immersed in cultural heritage, learn about Buddhism, and find one’s “true self” by spending a few days to a week as a guest in a living, operational Buddhist monastery. Although this tourism segment is gaining wide-spread appeal, the temple stay phenomenon has received relatively little scholarly attention outside of Korea. The handful of papers identified on the subject that are written in English, refer to this phenomenon as constituting various segments such as rural tourism, …