Conducting case study research in occupational therapy

Background: Case study research has been used increasingly in psychology and sociology in recent years. It provides researchers with an opportunity to explore a situation involving one individual or several individuals over time from multiple points of view. Methods: This literature review explains case study research as a method and summerises its scientific merit, also providing an example of its use. Results: Case study research offers occupational therapists a scientific methodology that can be used to understand and develop occupational therapy practice. Conclusion: This paper argues that case study research should be used more extensively by occupational therapists as the method respe…

Reliability and validity of the COPE Index among caregivers of disabled people.

Aim To study the reliability and validity of the Carers of Older People in Europe (COPE) Index among caregivers of disabled people of different ages. Methods A cross-sectional design of Finnish caregivers (n = 1117). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed separately on samples of three different age groups, and the internal consistencies of the subscales were investigated. Results Three factors were identified; Cronbach's alpha was 0.83–0.86 for negative impact and 0.77–0.78 for quality of support, indicating good internal consistency. The third factor, positive value, was less consistent across the age groups (α < 0.66). Conclusions The COPE Index is a valid and reliable screening…

Psychometric evaluation of the Finnish version of the impact on participation and autonomy questionnaire in persons with multiple sclerosis

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the impact on participation and autonomy (IPA) questionnaire. The Finnish version of IPA (IPAFin) was translated into Finnish using the protocol for linguistic validation for patient-reported outcomes instruments. Methods: A total of 194 persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) (mean age 50 years SD 9, 72% female) with moderate to severe disability participated in this study. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to confirm the four factor structure of the IPAFin. The work and educational opportunities domain was excluded from analysis, because it was only applicable to 51 persons. Internal consistency…

Predictors of Participation and Autonomy in People With Multiple Sclerosis.

Abstract Importance: Because multiple sclerosis (MS) affects many life areas, it is important to know how participation and autonomy are associated with the perceived impact of MS on everyday life. Objective: To investigate how perceived quality of life, disease impact, gender, and disease severity predict participation and autonomy in people with MS. Design: Cross-sectional study in which structural equation modeling was used to evaluate relationships between measured variables. Settings: Outpatient clinics in three areas and one inpatient rehabilitation center in Finland. Participants: Convenience sample of 194 people with MS. Outcomes and Measures: Participants completed the Impact on Pa…

Play assessment for group settings: A pilot study to construct an assessment tool

The Play Assessment for Group Setting (PAGS) was constructed to measure children's play performance. The study was undertaken with 93 children aged from 2 to 8 years to examine whether the items of the PAGS construct a unidimensional scale that can be used to measure children's play ability. The internal scale validity and the person response validity of the PAGS were investigated by examining the goodness-of-fit of the play items and children's play performance to the many-faceted Rasch model for the PAGS. In total, 46 of the 51 play items demonstrated acceptable goodness-of-fit. Of the 93 children, 90.3% demonstrated acceptable goodness-of-fit on the scale of play items. Overall, the resu…

Perceived Burden among Spouse, Adult Child and Parent Caregivers

The activities and participation categories of the ICF Core Sets for multiple sclerosis from the patient perspective.

Purpose: To validate the activities and participation components of The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 113 Finnish community-dwelling persons with MS were assessed using a semi-structured interview provided by the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) to capture participants’ self-perceived problems in everyday activities and participation. Problems were linked to the ICF categories. Results: Participants identified 527 of the most important occupational performance problems. They covered all chapters of the ICF Activities and Participation components. Forty-one categories out of a total 53 ICF act…

Self-reported Reasons for Changes in Performance of Everyday Activities During a 2-Year Multidisciplinary Multiple Sclerosis Rehabilitation

Background: Few multidisciplinary rehabilitation studies with a heterogeneous design have focused on people with multiple sclerosis (MS). This study compared subjective-reported changes in performance and satisfaction with daily activities among moderately and severely disabled people with MS during a 2-year, multidisciplinary, group-based, outpatient rehabilitation program comprising education in self-management and compensatory techniques, exercise, and guided peer support. Methods: Thirty-eight adults with moderate disability (Expanded Disability Status Scale [EDSS] score of 4.0–5.5, 74% women, mean age of 48 years) and 41 persons with severe disability (EDSS 6.0–8.5, 63% women, mean age…

Feasibility and psychometric properties of the Finnish version of the measure of processes of care for adults

To assess the psychometric properties and feasibility of the Finnish translation of the measure of processes of care for adults (MPOC-A) when used in an inpatient rehabilitation setting.A feasibility study.Inpatient rehabilitation settings.A total of 858 people with severe neurological disabilities, musculoskeletal problems, and mental disorders were recruited to the study.The MPOC-A questionnaire is a self-administered questionnaire consisting of 34 items in five-factorial domains. The construct validity of the translated questionnaire was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis. To compare the fit of the model to the fit of the independent null-model Comparative Fit Index was used. I…

Perceived Burden among Spouse, Adult Child and Parent Caregivers

Aims To identify what factors are associated with the caregiver burden of spouse caregivers, adult child caregivers, and parent caregivers. Background Caregivers often feel stressed and perceive caregiving as a burden. The caregiver burden has been little studied from the perspective of the personal relationship between caregiver and care recipient. Design Cross-sectional study. Methods A random sample of 4,000 caregivers in Finland was drawn in 2014 and those who remained either spouse, adult child, or parent caregivers at data collection were included in the analysis (N = 1,062). Data collection included recipients' characteristics. Caregivers' perceived burden was measured using the Care…