Occupational Therapy Students' Choice of Gender-Differentiated Activities for Psychiatric Patients

Abstract

vation differs from that of parents with able-bodied children, and the difference between attitudes and actual behaviour. AcknowledgementsWe would like to express our gratitude to Mrs Elizabeth Stephenson, Senior Occupational Therapist, Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital, for permitting this pilot study to be carried out and for providing the necessary information.Our thanks also go to all the parents of children with motor-learning difficulties who participated in this study, for without their help, interest, time and cooperation it would not have been possible.Rnally, we wish to thank Mrs Margaret Middler for all the time she has given up to typing this paper. References1. Hall DMB. Clumsy children Br Med J 1988; 196: 375. 2. Chesson R, McKay C, Stephenson E. Motor-learning difficulties and the family. Child Care Health Dev 1990; 16(2): 123-28 3. Anderson J, Hinjosa J. Parents and therapists in a professional partnership. Am J Oeeup Ther 1984; 38(7): 452-61. 4. Ogilvie E. Training body awareness in the clumsy child. Br J Oeeup Ther 1978; 41(7): 233-36. 5. Hamill JS. Sensory integrative dysfunction: parental participation in the child's therapy program. Oeeup Ther Health Care 1987; 4(2): 47-59. 6. Maclean MF. Parents as co-therapists for children with motorlearning difficulties: a review of the literature. Br J Oeeup Ther 1991; 54(2): 65-68. 7. Parette HP, Hourcade JJ. Parental participation in early therapeutic intervention programs for young children with cerebral palsy: an unresolved dilemma. Rehabil Lit 1985; 46(1-2): 2-7. 8. Stephenson E, McKay C, Chesson R. The identification and treatment of motor-learning difficulties: parents' perceptions and the role of the therapist. Child Care Health Dev 1991; 17: 91-113. 9. Stephenson E, McKay C. A support group for parents of children with motor-learning difficulties. Br J Oeeup Ther 1989; 52(5):

Occupational therapists’ perceptions of gender – A focus group study

“…Women and men, as a consequence of the gender order, live under different conditions, have different experiences and use different strategies because of social, cultural, ethnic, and political circumstances, as well as biology (Acker, 1992). Bracegirdle (1991) performed a case vignette study to investigate how occupational therapy students chose and prescribed therapeutic activities for men and women. The hypothesis was that occupational therapists unconsciously introduce expectations of men"s and women"s differentiation into social roles in the treatment of clients.…”

Occupational Therapy Students' Choice of Client Activities: Does Patients' Gender Matter?

“…The method was replicated from Bracegirdle (1991) and a fictional case study was prepared by two students (study leaders) in semester six, the final semester, of an undergraduate occupational therapy programme under the supervision of the first author. The basis was the original fictional case, but some adaptations were made by using two Swedish studies to identify typical male and female activities (Swedish National Board for Youth Affairs 2005, Berntsson et al 2006.…”

“…This study was published 20 years ago, and in the UK (Bracegirdle 1991). As part of the professional development of occupational therapy, updated knowledge is needed, and it was decided to repeat this study in Sweden because it is one of the countries with the most developed gender equity (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/ World Bank 2007).…”

“…The results showed that the students chose traditional female occupations for women, and male occupations for men. Although the results must be treated with caution because of the small number of participants, Bracegirdle (1991) concluded that they were based on the assumption of traditional roles. Furthermore, she emphasised that it was the responsibility of occupational therapists to be aware of clients' wishes, as well as their own behaviour,…”

“…This is described as the objective and subjective side of participation (Hemmingsson and Jonsson 2005). Bracegirdle (1991) investigated how 26 female and 7 male first-year occupational therapy students in the United Kingdom (UK) chose and prescribed therapeutic activities for men and women. The students were presented with fictional cases that were identical, except for the name that indicated the gender of the client.…”