Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Risk Factors Among Hand Therapists, Suzanne Makielski

Masters Theses

The following study examined the presence of risk factors among hand therapists for developing carpal tunnel syndrome. A review of the literature indicated a significant relationship between the incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome and manual workers whose occupational tasks involve repetitive wrist and hand movements. Hand therapists were characterized as manual workers while possessing specialized knowledge and skill in the evaluation and treatment of hand and wrist disorders. Biomechanical analysis of various "hands on" techniques revealed repetitive wrist and hand movements including the use of force and increased risk for injury associated with carpal tunnel syndrome. In order to determine …

Attitudes Of Occupational Therapy Students Toward The Mentally Disabled, Patricia Mccarthy

Masters Theses

Thirty-nine undergraduate occupational therapy and fifty-seven entry-level graduate occupational therapy students from eight randomly selected academic programs were surveyed using the Opinions About Mental Illness Scales ([OMI], Cohen and Struening, 1959) and the Mental Health Information Questionnaire ([MHIQ], Nunnally, 1961). Results revealed that both student groups’ knowledge toward the mentally disabled was more similar to the general public’s knowledge. Using a one-tailed t-test to compare the MHIQ factors revealed there was no statistically significant difference between the occupational therapy student groups.

Both student groups’ OMI factor scores were similar to an expert group for Factors A B, and D; however, …

A Descriptive Study Of The Development And Validation Of A Curriculum Development Process For Occupational Therapy In An Institution Of Higher Education, Alfred G. Bracciano

Dissertations

This was a descriptive study of a curriculum development process for occupational therapy at Saginaw Valley State University in Michigan. A four-stage process was designed and documented. These stages included: (1) feasibility , (2) curriculum design and development, (3) review and evaluation-validation for each component, and (4 ) implementation stage.

The study was conducted to develop a curriculum development process that was academically appropriate for occupational therapy programs for institutions of higher education and which met identified needs as set forth by the feasibility study and the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), Division of Education. Further, the study undertook to …

Differences In Values And Goals Of Occupational Therapy Students, Margaret A. Danka

Masters Theses

This study compared professional values and goals of three levels of occupational therapy students: (1) seniors in baccalaureate programs (n = 337), (2) students in professional master's programs (n = 95), and (3) students in post-professional master's programs (n = 62). Demographic characteristics and factors influencing career choice were also examined.

Significant differences were found among the three student groups for three professional goals: (1) contributing to theory, (2) doing research, and (3) educating occupational therapy students, and four professional values: (1) intellectual stimulation, (2) exciting life, (3) comfortable life, and (4) helpfulness. The demographic differences among the three student …

The Effects Of Added Purpose On Fine Motor Performance In Learning Disabled Children, Sarah Lynn Austin

Masters Theses

The idea that occupations which offer added levels of purpose elicit a high quality of performance is widely accepted within occupational therapy. In this experiment involving fine motor performance, fifty-three learning disabled children were randomly assigned to two groups. It was hypothesized that children cutting out a circle, presented as a wheel which would complete a paper truck, would cut more accurately than those who cut out the same circle without the suggestion of it being used as a wheel. Accuracy was assessed by measuring the area of the children's cutting errors. The experimental design included the use of a …

Leisure Satisfaction Of Alcoholics And Cocaine Addicts, Tamera F. Stanback

Masters Theses

A role for occupational therapists is to help substance abuse clients achieve a healthy balance across occupational performance areas, including leisure. The literature suggests that alcoholics have deficits in leisure, but cocaine addicts have not yet been studied systematically in terms of leisure. This study compared twenty alcoholics from two Midwestern in-patient treatments centers to fourteen unmatched cocaine addicts at the same centers in terms of their leisure satisfaction. Then, nine male subjects from each group were matched in terms of age and family status, and t-test comparisons were made once again. The Leisure Satisfaction Scale was used as a …

Reliability And Validity Of The Body Mechanics Obstacle Course Evaluation, Louise Sinclair-Eastman

Masters Theses

A review of the literature suggests that the way in which an individual performs activities, or body mechanics, can affect the amount of stress placed on the low back. Several clinical programs treat patients with low back pain by teaching proper body mechanics. Although body mechanics obstacle course evaluations are used by occupational therapists to assess patients, there has been no published information regarding the reliability and validity of these evaluations. The purpose of this study was to establish the validity and reliability of one version, the Body Mechanics Obstacle Course (BMOC).

Content validity was established by reviewing the literature …

The Effects Of Group Incentive Plans On Individual Performance, Karen Geralyn Stoneman

Masters Theses

A simulated work environment was utilized to study the effects of group incentive plans on individual performance on an assembly task. The subjects in the study were college students who worked in groups of a small size, a medium size, or a large size. A reversal design was utilized in which the first condition was an individual incentive condition, the second was a group incentive condition, and the final was the return to an individual incentive condition.

The results showed: (a) individual performance did not significantly change when individuals were switched from an individual to a group incentive plan; (b) …

A Comparison Of An Ideal And A Real Quality Of Work Life Program, Noreen Goldschmidt

Masters Theses

The purposes of this study were to examine the differences between: (a) a real and idealized Quality of Work Life program; (b) individual groups and the idealized Quality of Work Life program, and (c) groups surveyed.

Two departments were surveyed to obtain perceptions of a Quality of Work Life program existing within a utility company located in the state of Michigan.

Percentages were calculated on the Agree and Strongly Agree response alternatives for all items included on the survey. For the three comparisons made the difference in percent was tested at the.05 level of significance. The results indicated that the …

Ipsilateral Electromyographic Activity Of Shoulder Muscles During Unilateral Maximal Resistance Of Grasp In The Prone-On-Elbows Position, Bryan John Wodaski

Masters Theses

This study reports the relationship between electrical output of the deltoid muscle and the pectoral is major muscle (clavicular portion) ipsilaterally, following maximal resistance to grasp of the non-dominant hand while in the prone-on-elbows position. Forty-two normal college students were recruited from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental subjects' shoulder muscles' electrical activity was measured for changes from baseline to maximal contraction during two trials. The control group was measured in the same manner but they were not asked to contract their hand against resistance. For both groups electrical activity was …

Group Structure And Humor, Effects On Group Cohesion And Affective Meaning, Mary Ellen Rus

Masters Theses

The ability to identify therapeutic components of an activity is an important skill of occupational therapists trained in activity analysis. This study examined potentially significant factors in activity analysis: the use of humor and group structure. Four groups (two with a parallel structure and two with a project structure) participated in a hat making activity designed to elicit humor. Four groups (two with a parallel structure and two with a project structure) participated in a bookmark making activity. Subjects' affective responses were measured by Osgood's short-form semantic differential, and the cohesion among group members was assessed by the Group Environmental …

Interest And Pupil Dilation: A Print Advertising Pre-Test, Roy Douglas Adler

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Areas Of Knowledge And Skills Essential To Occupational Therapists In Clinical Psychiatry --A Critical Study Of 395 Performance Examples, Elizabeth A. Boles

Masters Theses

Introduction

Occupational therapy, an allied medical discipline, has experienced rapid growth in the slightly more than forty years of its existence. The impetus given to this field through the training of World War I reconstruction aides, the forerunners of professional occupational therapists, has been described by Willard and Spackman.¹ These authors state that the inauguration of the first collegiate training program took place at Milwaukee Downer College in 1913. By 1921 a national professional organization had been formed,² and by 1938 four schools of occupational therapy had been accredited, based on standards set up by the American Medical …