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 215 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTRCT2026Correlation of Motor-Task Related Brain Activation Changes With Motor Performance Changes Induced by Constraint-Induced Therapy After Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairArm function improved with CIMT, as expected from the parent trial, but brain activation for a controlled finger task did not significantly change in any group. The one significant link: more functional gain went with preserved affected-hemisphere M1 activation.
• OTPilot2026Digital Cognitive-Motor Occupational Training with QEEG Monitoring in Schizophrenia Rehabilitation: An Exploratory Neurofunctional Study.Occupational therapy internationalAdding real-time brain monitoring to a digital occupational task lowered engagement scores across all four activity domains in 30 people with schizophrenia. The brain-activity patterns were descriptive only, with no inferential comparisons made. This is exploratory, not evidence the monitoring helps.
• PTOTSurvey2026Disability, race, and risk of perinatal intimate partner violence: Findings from a nationally representative U.S. sample.Disability and health journalWomen with disabilities had significantly higher odds of physical IPV both before and during pregnancy across every racial and ethnic group studied. The gap was largest for American Indian/Alaska Native and Black women with disabilities, and persisted after adjusting for age, education, and insurance.
• OTOther2026The Convergent Validity Between Two Adult Self-Report Sensory Processing Scales.Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapieTwo adult sensory processing questionnaires (ASH and SPM-2-Adult) show moderate agreement in young adults, so an OT can use either to profile a client's sensory profile. The ASH's Functional-Problem items correlate less consistently, so those subscales are not interchangeable.
• OTSystematic Review2026Community development practice in occupational therapy: A scoping review.Australian occupational therapy journalThe 38 published pieces on community development in occupational therapy are almost all qualitative, none tested whether the practice works, and the field still lacks agreed definitions, training, and institutional support.
• OTQualitative2026Is global citizenship a priority in occupational therapy education? The perceptions of Australian occupational therapy educators.Australian occupational therapy journalAustralian OT educators' views of global citizenship in their curricula range from 'a checkbox activity' to 'professionally essential,' with only the most advanced group linking it to critical reflection on power and justice. Most felt unskilled to go beyond what accreditation required.
• OTQualitative2026Exploring Resilience in Mothers of Adolescents With Intellectual Disabilities in Thailand: A Qualitative Study.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDThai mothers described resilience as active daily work (accepting their child, teaching practical skills, leaning on Buddhist faith and peer parents) not a fixed trait. They also reported persistent stigma, exhaustion, and difficulty reaching services.
• PTOTPilot2026Clinical and psychological adjustment to prosthesis use in lower-limb amputees: focus on differences between traditional and high-technology rehabilitation.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesNeither traditional nor high-technology rehabilitation outperformed the other in functional or psychological outcomes for 21 male transtibial amputees. Both groups improved in mobility and independence over three weeks, but the study was too small to detect a difference between approaches.
• PTOTQualitative2026Factors influencing the use and user perception of powered wheelchairs under the long-term care insurance system in Japan: a qualitative study.Journal of physical therapy sciencePowered wheelchair users chose their devices based on personal values, not specifications, and grew attached once they adapted. But a gap between what the PWC can do and what daily life allows (low public awareness, environmental barriers) was the main frustration.
• OTSurvey2026Exploring occupational therapists' perceptions, current practices and confidence levels in supporting return to work after stroke: A mixed-methods study.The British journal of occupational therapyUK occupational therapists feel confident in their stroke return-to-work role, but practice skews toward physical and cognitive impairment work. Work-specific assessments and employer engagement are used rarely; confidence drops to 47% for employer-related tasks. Most learned on the job and want targeted training.
• OTPilot2026Cultivating Empathy and Compassion Through Sim-Tech: A Reflective Action Research Study Enhancing Community-Based Interventions for Marginalised Groups.The British journal of occupational therapy23 OT students in a single immersive-video workshop reported feeling more compassionate (88.24%) and more competent in community interventions (82.35%). With no comparison group, no baseline, and no follow-up, this tells you the session was well-received, not that it builds lasting skill.
• PTOTOther2026Factors associated with the life-space assessment in community-dwelling older adults requiring support.Journal of physical therapy scienceAmong 63 older adults certified as requiring support, maximum gait speed was the only physical measure stably linked to how far they went out. Pain-related disability showed a weaker, less stable link. Gait speed matters more than chair-stand reps or balance for this group's mobility.
• PTOTNarrative Review2026Physiotherapy management of Long-COVID: an evidence-based approach.Brazilian journal of physical therapyPhysiotherapy for Long-COVID should centre on pacing and energy conservation, individualised exercise (not fixed-protocol graded exercise), and screening for post-exertional malaise before any physical testing. Most exercise evidence comes from hospitalised patients, and the condition is too varied for one-size-fits-all protocols.
• OTQualitative2026First-generation immigrants' experiences of entering and remaining in the Swedish labour market in a sustainable way: A qualitative study.Work (Reading, Mass.)Prolonged cycles of short-term contracts and unemployment eroded these immigrants' professional identity and sense of control. They wanted work to mean belonging and purpose, not just income. A consistent, engaged employment officer and social support from family were what kept them going.
• OTOther2026Reliability of Ultrasound Muscle Assessment in People With Critical Illness Performed by Occupational Therapy Students and Occupational Therapists.Occupational therapy internationalAfter 8 hours of training, occupational therapy students and therapists measured ICU patients' muscle thickness by ultrasound with excellent agreement both between and within examiners, across five muscle groups. One student's biceps measurement was only 'satisfactory'.
• PTOTCohort2026Long-term medical and psychosocial vulnerability after home return following severe traumatic brain injury.Journal of rehabilitation medicineAmong adults with severe TBI living at home one year after injury, 16.7% carried a five-year pattern of depression, anxiety, low life satisfaction, and repeated hospital visits. Home return did not mean recovery was complete.
• OTOther2026Executive Functioning as a Pathway Between Social Skills and Psychopathology: The Moderating Role of Autism Diagnosis.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchPlanning, working memory, and self-regulation skills sit between poor social skills and emotional or behavioral problems in children. The self-regulation link to behavioral problems is the same for autistic and typically developing kids. The planning-and-working-memory link to emotional problems was found only in autistic children.
• OTPilot2026Improving Access to Community Occupations via Rideshare: A Pilot Study With Autistic Adults.The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy AssociationThirteen autistic adults who had never used rideshare independently learned to do so through online modules and supervised ride-alongs. Independence and safety scores rose significantly, and eight of eleven who reported follow-up data took rides in the two months after.
• OTSurvey2026Person-Directed Staffing and Quality of Life: Links Between Staff Choice, Perceived Staff Stability and Community Participation for Individuals With IDD in the United States.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDPeople with IDD who don't choose their own staff are about 45% less likely to report stable staffing. Stable staffing is linked to community participation matching the person's preferences, but not to choice-making. Cross-sectional; sample skewed to milder disability.
• OTQualitative2026Paediatric occupational therapists' views on applying interoception in practice contexts.Australian occupational therapy journalPaediatric OTs in Australia report actively weaving interoception into practice but feeling underprepared, lacking OT-specific tools, and leaning on social media and peer learning. They call it a 'missing piece' for children's regulation, while admitting the evidence base is thin.
• OTOther2026Psychometric Evaluation of the Cross-Culturally Adapted Dutch-Language Version of the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY).Occupational therapy internationalThe Dutch PEM-CY is now validated and shows children with disabilities participate at similar frequency to peers but with significantly lower involvement, facing more environmental barriers. OTs can use it to identify where the environment is the problem.
• OTQualitative2026Work accommodations described by a racially and socioeconomically diverse sample of women undergoing treatment for breast cancer.Work (Reading, Mass.)Women undergoing breast cancer treatment don't think of 'accommodation' as one thing. They weigh leave time, schedule flexibility, social support, benefits, job security, and more. Which ones they mention depends heavily on their job type, education, and whether they have employer-sponsored insurance.
• OTQualitative2026Performance of Daily Living Activities of Autistic Children With Sensory Processing Difficulties: Caregivers' Perceptions.Occupational therapy internationalStrong aversion to textures and poor motor planning made every daily task (bathing, feeding, dressing, hygiene, toileting) require constant adult help, according to caregivers of autistic children aged 3–8.
• OTSurvey2026An Investigation of Factors Affecting Bowel Movement Hygiene in Autistic Children.Occupational therapy internationalSensory over-reactivity to stool (sight, smell, touch) and motor difficulties in reaching and balance are the main barriers to independent bottom-wiping in autistic children. Parents rate the stress at 5.88 out of 10, and only 13 of 74 had received professional help.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Designing an mHealth App for Stroke Rehabilitation in Indonesia: Mixed Methods Design Science Research Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesA stroke rehabilitation app prototype in Indonesia scored 'Good' on usability (SUS 71.83) and identified home-visit, activity-target, and progress-monitoring features as key gaps. No clinical outcomes were measured. This is a design study, not evidence the app improves recovery.
• OTQualitative2026Stakeholder perspectives on job analysis for disability-inclusive sewing employment in China: a qualitative content analysis.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesSewing workers and managers in China said motivation mattered more than physical ability for job retention, and that the type of impairment, not just severity, determined task fit. Vocational rehabilitation professionals identified four job-demand areas: gross and fine motor, sensory, and mental/communication.
• OTSurvey2026Occupational Performance and Quality of Life in Individuals With Cardiovascular Conditions: A Cross-Sectional Study.Occupational therapy internationalPeople with cardiovascular conditions rated their daily performance in the lower-moderate range, with self-care (especially mobility, sleep, and stairs) hit hardest. Better physical health predicted better performance; better psychological health predicted greater satisfaction.
• OTSystematic Review2026A Systematic Review of International Evidence to Inform Occupational Therapy Practice Guidelines for Total Knee Replacement in the Korean Health System.Occupational therapy internationalOT after knee replacement is most strongly linked to shorter hospital stays, with weaker evidence for better daily function, mood, and community reintegration. Most of the 51 studies reviewed were observational and low quality, so no single OT activity can be credited with these gains.
• OTOther2026Occupational burden in the line of duty: Focus on firefighter musculoskeletal injuries.Work (Reading, Mass.)The research field on firefighter musculoskeletal injuries has grown sharply since 2010 and is increasingly interdisciplinary, but this is a map of that literature, not a clinical study. It reports no patient outcomes and offers no new treatment guidance.
• OTOther2026Turkish Adaptation of the School Participation Questionnaire (T-SPQ) and Investigation of Validity, Reliability and Clinical Compatibility in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.Child: care, health and developmentThe teacher-rated School Participation Questionnaire, now available in Turkish, reliably separates children with ADHD from their peers on school participation. The Doing subscale, what the child actually does at school, was the strongest single indicator, with a cutoff of 38.5.
• OTSurvey2025Experiential Aspects of Participation for People with Serious Mental Illnesses: Measure Validation and Preliminary Findings from Clubhouses in Hawai'i.Occupational therapy in mental healthThe 12-item MeEAP scale validated well in 206 Clubhouse members with serious mental illness. Members scored high on all six participation areas, but those with physical activity limitations scored significantly lower across the board.
• OTQualitative2026Victorian primary school teachers' perspectives on collaboration with occupational therapists.Australian occupational therapy journalTeachers in Victorian primary schools described collaboration with occupational therapists as hampered by role confusion, misaligned communication, and time pressure. They wanted brief, direct contact (email preferred), clearer explanation of what OTs do beyond fine motor skills, and more built-in time to implement strategies.
• PTOTCohort2026Retrospective observational analysis of limitations in activities of daily living in a large cohort of patients with clinical obesity.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineFull dependence in daily tasks among obese adults in rehabilitation was associated with older age, higher weight, and lower muscle strength; continence and toileting were the most affected activities (n=3,229).
• OTSurvey2026Factors Influencing Engagement in Work-Related Activities Among People With Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Cross-Sectional Study.Occupational therapy internationalGreater engagement in work-related activities was associated with better mental well-being, more frequent participation, and hearing loss in 63 people with dementia or MCI. Cross-sectional design means these are associations, not causes. The hearing-loss link is counterintuitive and may reflect extra individualized support.
• OTSystematic Review2026A Scoping Review of Occupational Imbalance Among Korean High School Students: Insights Through the PEO Model.Occupational therapy internationalKorean high school students studying for the national exam spend roughly 12 hours a day on academics, sleep under 6 hours, and 44% regularly skip breakfast. A pattern the review traces to exam culture and filial duty, not individual weakness. No intervention was tested.
• OTSLPQualitative2026Parental insights about supports for children with disabilities who are restricted eaters.Australian occupational therapy journalParents of restricted-eating children with disabilities described structured programmes as rigid and distressing for their child, while valuing therapists who sat with them, acknowledged what they were already doing, and built strategies into the family's actual daily routine.
• OTQualitative2026Perceptions of Family Support in the Stroke Prevention Program Make My Day.Canadian journal of occupational therapy. Revue canadienne d'ergotherapieFamily support in stroke prevention worked best when family members joined in healthy activities together and gave positive feedback, but broke down when they took over tasks like cooking or sent mixed messages. The person's own motivation mattered more than external encouragement.
• PTOTOther2026Association between shoulder external rotation strength and real-world arm use in patients with mild post-stroke hemiparesis: a cross-sectional study.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 17 stroke survivors with mild arm weakness, stronger shoulder external rotation was linked to more and better use of the affected arm in daily life. Those with movement-induced shoulder pain had weaker external rotation and less shoulder range of motion.
• OTOther2026Rasch Validation of the FRTVMI in Arab Adolescents: Cultural and Gender Considerations in Visual-Motor Assessment.Occupational therapy internationalThe FRTVMI is reliable and measures one ability in Arab adolescents, but its item order contradicts the manual and up to 10 items favor one gender over the other in Kuwait. Published norms may not apply to this population.
• OTSystematic Review2026Exploring facilitators and barriers to effective practice among new graduate occupational therapists working with children and families: A scoping review.Australian occupational therapy journalNew graduate OTs working with children consistently report feeling underprepared and overwhelmed, with external mentoring, manageable caseloads, and access to experienced colleagues as the strongest enablers. The evidence base is thin (13 studies, mostly small qualitative work) so these are reported patterns, not proven solutions.
• OTSurvey2026Support-receiving networks and the isolation in schizophrenia: A preliminary study toward recovery-oriented occupational therapy.The British journal of occupational therapyAdults with schizophrenia in Japanese day-service centres reported fewer than one close contact on average. Receiving help from others was the only factor linked to having any connections. Loneliness, feeling valued, and helping others were not.
• OTQualitative2026Exploring Occupational Therapists' Sleep Intervention Approaches and Perspectives for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Malaysian Qualitative Study.Occupational therapy internationalMalaysian pediatric OTs describe a sensory-first sequence for ASD sleep, deep pressure and proprioceptive work before visual schedules and screen limits, with parent education as the delivery vehicle. No child outcomes were measured.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2026The Views of Autistic Adults on Early Autism Interventions: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Literature Review.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAcross 19 studies, autistic adults consistently said early support should respect the child's autonomy, be play-based and enjoyable, accept autism rather than target traits, and change the environment rather than the child. They also reported significant harm from compliance-focused behavioural interventions.
• PTOTOther2026Association of independent transportation use with life-space and physical activity for community-dwelling older adults using a day-care rehabilitation facility.Journal of physical therapy scienceAmong 24 day-care rehabilitation users, being able to drive or use public transport independently was linked to a wider life-space but made no measurable difference in how much they actually moved. Helping a patient get to more places does not, by itself, get them more active.
• OTPilot2026Implementation and outcomes of a novel occupational therapy service in a nursing home.Australian occupational therapy journalResidents in a nursing home who received individualised occupational therapy over up to 36 weeks reported clinically meaningful gains in both performance and satisfaction with their chosen activities, with median improvements of 2 and 2.3 points on a 1-to-10 scale.
• PTOTNarrative Review2026Upper limb prostheses: a narrative review of hand, wrist, and elbow devices.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesNo type of upper limb prosthesis outperforms another on standard functional tests, and the main reasons people stop wearing them are comfort, control, and function, not the lack of advanced features. Choose based on the individual's daily tasks, not the device's spec sheet.
• OTSystematic Review2026Integrative Health and Wellness Coaching in Occupational Therapy-A Scoping Review.Occupational therapy internationalOccupational therapists are already using health and wellness coaching skills in practice, but across 25 small studies the field has no standard framework and used 57 different outcome measures. This is a map of what exists, not evidence that any specific coaching approach works.
• OTCase Report2026Improving an intrinsic-plus movement pattern with a reversed knitted hand function enhancement glove: a case report.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesA man whose finger extension pattern persisted after radial nerve recovery showed improved grasping when a knitted glove worn in reverse assisted finger flexion during daily activities. This is one patient, not proof the glove works.
• OTSurvey2026Occupational therapists' perceptions of artificial intelligence: Potential, preparedness, and training needs.Australian occupational therapy journalOccupational therapists in an Australian health service rated their AI knowledge and skills as poor to fair and reported low preparedness, yet still saw AI as likely to improve patient care. No group differed by experience or setting.
• OTOther2026The Participation and Environment Measure-Children and Youth (PEM-CY): Cultural Adaptation, Validity, and Reliability of the Persian Version for 5- to 17-Year-Old Children With Cerebral Palsy.Occupational therapy internationalThe Persian PEM-CY is a valid, reliable tool for measuring participation and environmental barriers in children with CP. Children with CP participated in fewer activities and faced more barriers than typically developing peers, especially in school and community settings.