Parents of children with disabilities are vulnerable to parenting stress, which may place them at physical and psychological risk. However, it is not clear whether fathers experience stress differently to mothers, or whether their experiences are reported less frequently. Additionally, there is little reported on the relationships and gender differences between mothers' and fathers' attributions for parent child interaction outcomes. Parenting stress was assessed in this study using Abidin's (1990) Parenting Stress Index (PSI), and parenting attributions were assessed using the original (Bugental et al., 1989; Bugental and Shennum, 1984), and modified versions of the Parenting Attribution Test, also known as the Child Interaction Survey (CIS) (M-CIS: Esdaile and Greenwood, 1995b). Participants were 53 mothers and 25 fathers of children with disabilities. Having a child with a disability was associated with elevated scores on the PSI; some gender differences were found. Only one significant outcome was found on the assessment of parenting attributions. Thus, the findings suggest that further research is indicated to explore differences in mothers' and fathers' experiences of parenting stress, and the assessment of parenting attributions. The fact that having a child with a disability was associated with elevated scores on the PSI for both mothers and fathers indicates the importance of considering stress management as an integral part of occupational therapy programmes that involve parents of children with special needs. Therapists also need to consider possible gender differences when planning stress management programmes including both mothers and fathers of children with disabilities.
Mothers who are caregivers of children with disabilities seek to have their children accepted and valued by others in society. This is supported by many reports of studies from different countries that involved mothers of children with disabilities, as well as through publications by disability advocates. In this paper, qualitative research data from interviews with seven mothers of children with disabilities were reanalysed using Bourdieu's theory of practice and van Manen's phenomenological methodology. The results showed that these mothers, who were caregivers of children with disabilities, valued their children despite ongoing challenges, and wanted others to do likewise. This study supports the importance of valuing difference in terms of the insights and understanding gained from those with disabilities and their caregivers. It would be difficult to replicate it exactly; its relevance lies in demonstrating that valuable insights can be gained from extending reflective practice to research that involves re-examining a study from a different theoretical perspective.
Persons who sustain cerebral injuries often have cognitive impairments. Occupational therapists are active in providing cognitive rehabilitation that aims to minimize the effects of cognitive deficits in their clients' lives. This paper presents a brief review of the literature in the area of cognitive rehabilitation including major characteristics of existing occupational therapy models related to the treatment of people who need cognitive rehabilitation. A model of cognitive rehabilitation is proposed that emphasizes functional components of occupational therapy in different rehabilitation settings. This model, called the Functional Model of Cognitive Rehabilitation, supports the use of activities in naturalistic settings in treatment, in order to enable those with cognitive impairments to fulfill their occupational roles.
To plan meaningful, effective interventions, occupational therapy practitioners need to understand the context in which mothering occupations occur and to ensure that mothers' caring occupations and social support needs are addressed in the therapeutic partnership.
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