Reliable assessment of daily functioning is essential for guiding rehabilitation in individuals with borderline personality disorder. The 38-item Functional Assessment for Borderline Personality disorder (FAB2) addresses an important gap by simultaneously evaluating the mode of functioning and perceived difficulty. This study examined the FAB2's properties in a sample of 87 BPD patients and 50 control subjects. The questionnaire showed excellent reliability and robust convergent validity via high correlations with the WHODAS and EMMBEP. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the theoretical structure, establishing the FAB2 as a valid and robust measure for assessing daily functioning in BPD across clinical and research settings.
Occupational therapy is integral to acute mental health care, yet its role remains poorly understood within multidisciplinary teams. This study explored stakeholder perspectives on the role of occupational therapy in acute mental health care in South Africa. An exploratory qualitative design involving semi-structured interviews with 19 stakeholders working in the field of acute mental health was used. Data was thematically analyzed. Four themes emerged: functional assessment and rehabilitation; therapeutic use of occupation; psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery support; and system-level roles, collaboration, and service gaps. While occupational therapy is valued, role ambiguity and systemic constraints continue to limit its impact.
Occupational participation among migrants with mental health conditions remains underexplored in occupational therapy research. This qualitative phenomenological study explored occupational participation and migration-related influences on mental health among eight migrants attending a psychosocial rehabilitation day centre in Zaragoza, Spain. Thematic analysis revealed occupational disruption, restricted routines, employment instability, loneliness, fragmented support networks, homelessness, discrimination, and emotional distress. Although the service provided structure and support, participants continued to face barriers to meaningful participation. Despite limitations related to the single-site context and exclusion of non-Spanish-speaking participants, findings highlight occupational therapy's role in addressing occupational injustice, identity reconstruction, and social inclusion.
Occupational participation refers to engaging in roles and activities that support self-care, societal engagement, and well-being in response to personal and environmental demands. Although research on military sexual trauma (MST) increasingly examines its effects on women's occupations, its broader impact, particularly beyond gendered roles, remains underexplored. This study used a constructivist approach to explore how MST affects the occupational participation of women and gender-diverse veterans in the Canadian Armed Forces. Findings highlight the multifaceted challenges MST causes - including disruptions in identity, occupational choices, and relationships - while emphasizing participants' resilience in redefining their roles, underscoring the need for trauma-informed, occupation-focused support systems.
Sensory processing impacts military stress reactions, yet no validated military-specific tools exist. This study developed and conducted an initial psychometric evaluation of the Military Sensory Questionnaire (MSQ). Using a retrospective analysis of 284 U.S. Army drill sergeants, the original 53-item scale was refined through EFA and CFA. Results supported a respecified, 17-item, four-factor model with strong internal consistency (alpha=.81, omega t = .86). While convergent validity with a fear-avoidance measure was non-significant, Findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the internal structure and reliability of the MSQ as a screening instrument to support occupational therapy assessment and sensory-informed intervention planning in military settings.
This qualitative study explores the role of occupational therapy (OT) in supporting trans people in mental health contexts in Chile. In-depth interviews were conducted with occupational therapists working in clinical, community, and social settings. The analysis shows that OT interventions position everyday occupations as central to processes of gender affirmation, framing gender transition as a situated occupational process. Participants identified persistent tensions between safety, normalization, and authenticity, shaped by cisnormative institutional environments. The findings highlight both the potential and the limits of OT practice, emphasizing the need for reflexive, affirmative, and occupational justice-oriented approaches when working with trans people.
Occupational therapists in acute psychiatric care make rapid in-session judgments to sustain participation when people with schizophrenia show low initiation, anxiety, fatigue, attentional fluctuation, or fragile engagement. This qualitative video vignette study examined how 10 experienced occupational therapists interpreted participation-related cues and selected client-centred enablement actions during a simulated craft-based session. Interviews were analyzed inductively and mapped to the Canadian Model of Client-Centred Enablement. Five themes described phase-linked clinical reasoning. Findings may support supervision and education in psychiatric occupational therapy.
Background: Emotional intelligence (EI) underpins therapeutic use of self, reflective practice, and emotionally informed engagement, capacities central to occupational therapy in mental health that develop during professional preparation. Qualitative evidence from Gulf settings remains limited. Methods: Using an interpretivist design, five focus groups with 30 female undergraduate students from five allied health departments. Results: Four themes were developed: managing stress through emotion- and problem-focused strategies; regulating emotion to maintain professionalism; developing adaptability and resilience; and sustaining motivation through meaning, family expectations, and achievement. Conclusion: EI emerged as a developmental and culturally shaped capacity expressed through routines, relationships, and reflective practice.
Psychedelic-assisted therapy and integration are gaining renewed recognition as an effective mental health intervention. However, occupational therapy (OT) is largely missing from psychedelic integration practices despite clear overlap integration objectives. This project involved a comprehensive review of the literature, along with practitioner interviews and a survey to examine current integration practices and identify opportunities for OT involvement. Findings suggest that OT's focus on performance patterns and functional outcomes indicate that the profession can support measurable, sustainable, and goal-directed change following psychedelic experiences, making OT a critical yet underutilized contributor to psychedelic integration and this evolving mental health modality.
This study examined the associations among sensory processing, attachment-related behaviors, and daily living skills in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. The aim was to evaluate their independent and combined contributions using regression and machine-learning approaches. Data were obtained from 106 children aged 3-5 years, based on standardized caregiver reports and observational measures. Daily living skills were assessed using the Vineland scale, controlling for age and sex. Results indicated that more typical sensory responses and stronger attachment-related behaviors were associated with higher daily living skills. The cross-sectional design and single-site sample may limit generalizability.
The Just Right State program (JRSP) is an occupational therapy-based, sensory intervention designed to support self-regulation. Qualitative methodology was used to explore the experiences of five members of staff working in a secure children's home in training in and implementing the JRSP under the guidance of occupational therapy staff. Using thematic analysis four themes emerged: Sensory regulation training enhanced staff wellbeing, Sensory regulation as a new lens in a unique environment, Embedding theory in practice, and Considerations for the experiential JRSP training. The findings provide insights into effective training and implementation of sensory modulation interventions.
This pilot study examined the effects of an occupational therapy-led Building Resilience Program (BRP) on preschoolers with adverse childhood experiences. Using a randomized waitlist control design, 38 children from an urban Early Learning Center participated in a 7-week trauma-informed intervention targeting classroom behaviors, self-regulation, and engagement. While standardized measures showed medium effect sizes without statistical significance due to limited sample size, Goal Attainment Scaling revealed significant improvements in individualized behavior, engagement, and regulation outcomes with large effect sizes. Results suggest the BRP shows promise for improving outcomes in trauma-exposed preschoolers, with individualized measures proving more viable than standardized assessments.
Forcibly displaced individuals often struggle to maintain satisfying occupational balance. This study examined the validity and reliability of the Turkish Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ11-T) among 120 refugees living in Turkey. Construct validity was tested via factor analysis; reliability was assessed in 64 participants using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Cronbach's alpha. A single-factor structure explained 43.82% of variance with model fit (CMIN/DF = 1.210, RMSEA=.042, CFI=.979). Test-retest reliability was excellent (ICC=.994) and internal consistency acceptable (Cronbach's alpha=.869). The OBQ11-T is a valid, reliable tool for evaluating occupational balance among refugees living in Turkey.
