OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Research for occupational therapy

Papers an occupational therapist can act on, across daily living, mental health, hand therapy, paediatrics and rehabilitation, each read in full rather than from its abstract.

10,853 PAPERS · PAGE 214 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTQualitative2026Occupational therapy graduates' perceptions of their work readiness over their first year of work.Australian occupational therapy journalOT graduates' sense of work readiness shifted over their first year, from clinical skills and navigating the health system to self-reflection and resilience. They identified long-arm supervision, interprofessional learning, and working in pairs as the placement features they found most helpful.
• PTOTCohort2026Limited Discrepancy Between Cognitive Ability and Daily Living Skills in Autism: A Longitudinal Study From Ages 2-25.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchMost autistic people with average or higher IQ had daily living skills in line with their cognitive ability over 23 years. Where a gap existed, it grew gradually. Adult employment, living status, and well-being did not differ between the two groups.
• PTOTOther2026Participation restrictions in isolated cervical dystonia: a convergent mixed-methods study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineAdults with isolated cervical dystonia report low participation frequency (36.6/100) and low satisfaction (43.3/100), with productivity the most affected domain (31.6/100). Interviews add that unpredictability, invisibility, and a symptom-focused care system shape participation beyond what scores capture.
• OTCohort2026Examination of Total Hours of Volunteering or Informal Helping Among Older Adults and Risk of Future Functional Disability Using Data From a Large Panel Study.The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy AssociationMore hours helping others was linked to lower risk of daily-activity difficulty in 2,434 adults 65+, but the association disappeared once baseline cognitive and physical capacity and existing health conditions were included. Those capacity measures stayed significant.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2026Interprofessional training for undergraduate rehabilitation therapy students at the University of the Witwatersrand enhancing cancer rehabilitation in South Africa.The South African journal of physiotherapyFinal-year PT, OT and SLP students at one South African university reported high self-rated interprofessional competence after a single cancer case session. The two lowest items were avoiding jargon and giving feedback to peers.
• PTOTOther2026Comparison of pain, depression, quality of life, grip strength, and balance according to physical activity levels in office workers.Work (Reading, Mass.)Office workers classified as highly active reported less activity-related pain, higher general quality of life, and stronger grip than inactive workers. Depression did not differ between groups. This is a one-time comparison, not a treatment trial, so no causal claim is possible.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Developmental Profile and Variability in Preschool-Age Children With Down Syndrome.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRIn preschool children with Down syndrome, social-emotional and gross motor skills score higher than cognitive, language, and fine motor skills. Language and social-emotional skills also show the widest individual variation.
• OTOther2026Employee-nature interactions: A scoping review on employees' green exercise behaviors.Work (Reading, Mass.)Outdoor activity in parks and forests is linked across 13 studies of working adults to better mood, lower cortisol, and less burnout. This is a map of what has been studied, not evidence that any specific programme works.
• PTOTQualitative2026Bridging the gap: The experiences and needs of people with spinal cord injury when transitioning out of inpatient rehabilitation.The South African journal of physiotherapyPeople with SCI in South Africa described their rehab as mostly helpful but flagged three gaps: staff not always SCI-informed, the hospital not resembling home, and psychological support lacking structure. Only two of eleven planned to continue psychology after discharge.
• OTOther2026Elizabeth Casson Memorial Lecture 2024: The time is now, building a social movement to demonstrate the value of occupation.The British journal of occupational therapyA memorial lecture calling on occupational therapists to build a collective social movement. No research, no patients, no outcomes reported.
• OTSurvey2026Relationship Between Caregiver Burden and Sense of Coherence in Home-Based Family Caregivers.Occupational therapy internationalIn 64 Japanese family caregivers, the feeling that one's caregiving situation is understandable and predictable was the only component of sense of coherence independently linked to lower burden. Manageability and meaningfulness were not. This is a cross-sectional association, not proof that building that sense reduces burden.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Functional outcomes of children after SARS-CoV-2 infection: An EHR-based cohort study.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineChildren with clinician-confirmed long COVID after SARS-CoV-2 infection were more likely to show school decline, need new school support, and develop new behavioral or mental health symptoms than children without long COVID. Referral to psychological services did not differ between the two groups.
• PTOTPilot2026Sedentary behaviour and activity patterns of older adults in an acute hospital setting: An exploratory study.The British journal of occupational therapyOlder adults in hospital took a mean of 657 steps a day and spent about 20 hours sitting or lying. More steps correlated with better function, but the main barriers were outside the patient: staffing, space, and nothing purposeful to do.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2026Altered blood-based biomarkers in carpal tunnel syndrome. A systematic review and meta-analysis.Musculoskeletal science & practiceCTS patients have higher blood levels of inflammatory and fibrosis-related markers than healthy controls, but the evidence is low to very low certainty. These are indirect systemic signals, not yet a tool for diagnosis or treatment decisions.
• OTCohort2026Exploring the alignment between occupational therapy using Ayres Sensory Integration® with children and occupation-centred practice: An observational study.Australian occupational therapy journalNone of the eight ASI-trained therapists demonstrated all 22 occupation-centred practice components. The most commonly missed were collaboration with families, client-chosen goals, and occupational outcome measures. ASI fidelity was met by all, but fidelity does not guarantee an occupational focus.
• OTQualitative2026Implementing a complex innovation into workplace operations: The case of work ability support for indoor environment-associated health complaints.Work (Reading, Mass.)Four tensions emerged when workplace teams implemented a model for indoor-environment health complaints: validating subjective symptoms against objective data, keeping information reliable, normalizing these cases, and equipping supervisors who have not handled them before. The data come from 16 actors in three Finnish organizations.
• OTSurvey2026The doing, being, becoming, and belonging (DB3) scale: Development and initial content validity in an Australian context.Australian occupational therapy journalA new 42-item scale for measuring a patient's sense of occupational being was rated as relevant and understandable by 44 occupational therapy academics and 17 consumers. It has not yet been tested for reliability or sensitivity to change.
• OTCohort2026Behavioral and functional aspects among public and private middle school students.CoDASBehavioral difficulties in 11-to-14-year-old students were significantly linked to functional problems in stress management and social interaction. More girls showed hyperactivity symptoms; more boys showed prosocial behavior difficulties. No significant link was found with school type or economic class.
• OTPilot2026Virtual reality for activities of daily living rehabilitation after acquired brain injury.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesVR-based ADL practice added to usual therapy was associated with a 9.4-point gain on the NADL (max 66) and further improvement at 3 months. No control group, so the gains cannot be attributed to VR alone.
• OTPilot2026Enhancing Development Through Teleoccupational Therapy in Children With Cortical Visual Impairment: A Quasiexperimental Study.Occupational therapy internationalEight children with cortical visual impairment improved in cognitive, fine motor, and gross motor scores after 8 weeks of online occupational therapy. Play skills improved in some areas but not others. No control group means the gains cannot be separated from maturation or parent attention.
• OTSystematic Review2026The Relationship Between Mental Disorders and Heart Diseases Among General Workers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTDepression, anxiety, and PTSD were each linked to a higher risk of heart disease among workers. The 34 studies varied widely, and the anxiety range includes no effect, so the strength of each link is uncertain.
• PTOTCase Report2026Nursing strategies for severe poststroke fatigue: a case report of a structured, multidimensional intervention program.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesOne 71-year-old stroke patient's fatigue score fell from 6.8 to 3.2 over six weeks while receiving structured nursing care alongside daily physical, occupational, and speech therapy. As a single case with no control, this describes one person's experience, not evidence the programme works.
• PTOTCohort2026Timing and Intensity of Rehabilitation Services During Acute Stroke Hospitalization: Impacts on Functional Recovery and Community Discharge.The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy AssociationAmong stroke patients receiving OT, a shorter wait between evaluation and first treatment and higher daily therapy intensity were each linked to better discharge function and greater odds of community discharge. PT showed only one significant link: earlier evaluation.
• OTQualitative2026Psychological and behavioral processes in stroke survivors with recovery exceeding prognostic expectations: a qualitative study of positive deviance.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesOccupational therapists described stroke patients who exceeded recovery predictions as maintaining their pre-stroke identity, setting their own goals, building confidence from small wins, and actively using family and peer support. These are processes therapists can foster, not fixed traits.
• OTRCT2026Training-induced cognitive coupling emerges under sham but not active transcranial electrical stimulation in older adults: a triple-blind, randomized, sham-controlled study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationTen sessions of tDCS or tACS added to cognitive and balance training did not improve attention or executive function beyond the training alone in healthy older adults. The sham group showed the largest gains on several attention measures.
• OTQualitative2026Identity Development for LGBTQIA+ Autistic Adults in the United States: A Mixed-Methods Study.The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy AssociationLGBTQIA+ autistic adults built their identities through exposure to others, self-directed research, trial and error, and interactions with people outside their communities. Positive experiences led to immediate self-acceptance; negative ones required a longer, harder journey.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2026Applications of ICF-Based Assessments and Interventions in Post-Stroke Rehabilitation: A Narrative Review.NeuroRehabilitationICF-based stroke assessments cover 84.8% of UK guideline topics, but interventions cover only 45.5%. Both skew toward body function and activity. Participation and environmental factors are barely addressed in either.
• OTQualitative2026A mixed-methods study of how cancer-related fatigue affects occupational participation and engagement, and is managed in daily life.The British journal of occupational therapyCancer-related fatigue hit leisure and social activities hardest, leaving participants with only basic daily tasks. Most had low confidence in managing it, and the loss of valued activities caused grief and a sense of losing their identity.
• OTSystematic Review2026Exploring Occupation-Based Interventions for Sleep Within OTPF: A Systematic Review.Occupational therapy internationalMost occupation-based sleep interventions focus on getting ready for sleep: routines, education, and adjusting the sleep environment. Sustaining sleep and handling nighttime needs are largely absent from the literature. Eight of ten included studies reported a positive effect.
• PTOTOther2026Associations Between Caregiver Smartphone Use in a Child's Presence and Motor Skills and Executive Function in Preschoolers: SUNRISE International Study.Child: care, health and developmentHow often a caregiver uses a smartphone during play, meals or walks was not associated with a preschooler's motor skills or working memory in 2,232 children across 27 countries, after adjusting for age and other factors.
• PTOTPilot2026Use of sensory dynamic orthosis in paediatric neuromuscular scoliosis: A pilot single-group pre-post study.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineThe SDO did not change spinal curvature over six months in 25 non-ambulatory children with neuromuscular scoliosis. It did improve posture while worn, and caregivers reported high satisfaction. No pain or function changes were detected.
• PTOTQualitative2026Specialist Rehabilitation Providers' Experiences With an Online Self-Compassion Course: Reflexive Thematic Analysis.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesMost of the 20 rehab HCPs interviewed had never been self-compassionate toward themselves. The course gave them words for burnout and basic self-compassion tools, but heavy caseloads, no quiet space, and scheduling conflicts made it hard to sustain the practice after the course ended.
• OTOther2026Examining the relationship between self-reported physical literacy and performance-based motor skills in school-aged children.The British journal of occupational therapySelf-reported physical literacy scores did not predict performance on a standardised motor skills test. The one link found: children who scored well on balance and coordination tasks tended to rank physical activity as more important than reading or math.
• PTOTNarrative Review2026Motor Disorders in Autism: From Comorbidity to Core Criterion.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchMotor signs like gait asymmetry, toe-walking, and postural instability are common in ASD and may precede social deficits. The authors propose these become diagnostic criteria rather than comorbidities, with a two-tier assessment framework for early screening.
• OTPilot2026Experience and Influence of Lifestyle Redesign® Training in French-Canadian Occupational Therapists.Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapieOTs' knowledge of Lifestyle Redesign improved after training, but their intention to implement it in practice did not change. Participants said they needed more hands-on group facilitation practice and authentic examples before they could use the approach with clients.
• OTPilot2026Effectiveness of Telerehabilitation-Delivered LSVT-BIG on Motor Function in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Single-Subject Experimental Study.Occupational therapy internationalAll three chronic stroke patients got faster on the Timed Up and Go, moved more blocks in the Box and Block test, and scored higher on daily living and occupational performance after 16 remote LSVT-BIG sessions over 4 weeks. With only three people and no comparison group, this is a signal, not proof.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2026A scoping review of outcome and outcome measure sets for adults with spinal cord injury, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.Journal of rehabilitation medicineStroke, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury patients share 54% of their rehabilitation outcome priorities, yet only 3% of the recommended measures are used across all three conditions. Clinicians treating all three groups are measuring the same things with different tools.
• OTSurvey2026Neglected empathy: A study of the mechanisms of social workers' empathic competence on work withdrawal.Work (Reading, Mass.)Among 526 Chinese social workers, higher empathy predicted more emotional labor, more burnout, and more work withdrawal. Organizational support amplified empathy's positive engagement but also buffered its burnout risk. The strongest protection for the most empathic workers.
• OTOther2026Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Evaluation of the Persian Version of the ADL Taxonomy Questionnaire in Persons With Stroke: A Rasch Analysis.Occupational therapy internationalThe Persian ADL Taxonomy is a valid, reliable tool for assessing daily living participation in stroke survivors, with strong agreement with the MBI and stable scores over time, though a few items around communication, reading, and travel need cautious interpretation.
• OTSurvey2026The Impact of Time Use in Different Occupation Areas on Time Deficiency Among Mothers Depending on the Presence of Children With Disabilities.Occupational therapy internationalMothers of children with disabilities feel significantly more time-pressed than mothers of typically developing children. Their extra caregiving time comes at the cost of personal care and paid work, and protecting time for basic self-care is associated with feeling less time-pressed.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2026Understanding health services and puberty for autistic adolescents and those with disability: A scoping review to inform occupational therapy practice.Australian occupational therapy journal18.9% of OTs working with pubertal-aged children address menstruation. Across 17 studies, the most consistently advocated support is anticipatory education before menarche, delivered in a person- and family-centred way.
• OTCohort2026The Unique Roles of Executive Function in Co-Occurring Psychopathologies in Autism.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAmong 701 children with autism, weaker attention, working memory, and self-control predicted more severe ADHD. Better executive function also softened the link between being overwhelmed by sensory input and anxiety. A pattern no other cognitive domain showed.
• OTCohort2026Cognitive and Demographic Associations of Dementia-Related Behavioural Changes in Adults With an Intellectual Disability: Findings From the IDS-TILDA Study.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRAdults with Down syndrome had higher scores on a caregiver-reported dementia screening measure than those with other intellectual disabilities, and older age was linked to higher scores. Verbal fluency performance was associated with these scores; memory and praxis tests were not.
• PTOTQualitative2026Experiences of functional recovery after polytrauma in a private Johannesburg healthcare setting: Patients' perspectives.The South African journal of physiotherapyPolytrauma patients in a well-resourced private hospital described physiotherapy as generic and sometimes painful, said financial limits cut their rehab short, and reported no mental health support during admission. Family support and positive practitioner relationships were what they credited for recovery.
• PTOTPilot2026Introduction of Nurse-Led Rehabilitation Services for Patients With Stroke After Discharge to Improve Self-Care Management in Bangladesh: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesNo significant difference between the nurse-led group and usual care on functional independence, self-efficacy, social participation, or caregiver burden at 3 months. Both groups improved, and the control group also received external rehabilitation, so the null result does not mean the intervention failed.
• OTQualitative2026Moments That Matter: Exploring Autistic Adolescents' and Their Families' Joy Through Family Journals.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceFamilies of autistic teens and young adults described joy as ordinary (reading, cooking, playing games) not rare or extraordinary. It was relational, co-created with others, and layered across sensory, creative, and social dimensions. The daily journaling prompt itself helped families notice moments they'd otherwise overlook.
• OTQualitative2026The role of work in the recovery journey: Meaning, transformation, and inclusion.The British journal of occupational therapyFive people with serious mental illness described their work lives as a process of learning their own triggers, learning to ask for what they need, and finding purpose in helping others. Peer support was the thread running through all of it.
• PTOTPilot2026Implementation of Stroke Prevention Intervention Make My Day in Swedish Primary Healthcare.Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapieThe programme was feasible and well-received, with engaging occupations the most valued mechanism and high app use. But only two of five planned sites could run it, attendance fell short, and Swedish reimbursement rules do not cover this type of prevention work.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026The Combined Use of Non-Invasive Neurostimulation with Interactive Digital Technologies in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation: A Scoping Review.Journal of rehabilitation medicineCombining electrical stimulation with VR or games showed preliminary gains in gross-motor function and patient engagement across 12 small SCI studies, but the authors state the evidence is too weak to support any clinical recommendation.
• OTCohort2026Outpatient rehabilitation can prevent suicide after acquired brain injury.Journal of rehabilitation medicineZero of 591 brain-injury patients in a multidisciplinary outpatient programme died by suicide, versus 40 (26 verified) in 2,932 matched controls. The comparison is observational, not randomised, but the difference is large.