Outcomes of an occupational therapy program for mothers of children with disabilities: impact on satisfaction with time use and occupational performance.

OBJECTIVE: This experimental research study evaluated the impact of an 8-week psychosocial occupational therapy intervention program for mothers who have children with disabilities. METHOD: Thirty-eight mothers of children with disabilities were randomly assigned to participate either in the treatment or the control group (19 in each). The occupational therapy intervention was designed to facilitate increased perceptions of satisfaction with time use and occupational performance, thereby positively affecting maternal and family well-being. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was administered to measure self-perceptions of occupational performance and satisfaction over time. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the two groups on time use perceptions. Although no significant differences were found between the two groups on the COPM Performance subscale, the treatment group demonstrated significantly greater score increases (p < .05) on the COPM Satisfaction subscale. CONCLUSION: This preliminary study suggests that attending to the time use and occupational concerns of mothers of children with disabilities can have a positive impact on their satisfaction with occupational performance.