Occupational Therapy for Caregivers

Summary

This study examines a client-centered occupational therapy program developed for caregivers of children with cerebral palsy. Caregivers often have difficulty managing their daily activities because of caregiving responsibilities, which can affect how they organize their daily routines.

In this study, caregivers take part in an 8-week program that focuses on improving daily life balance through goal setting, awareness of time use, and activity planning. The program is designed to help caregivers better organize their daily routines and balance different types of activities.

Participants are randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. Outcomes such as daily activity balance, activity performance, and caregiving-related difficulties are measured before and after the program.

The aim of this study is to examine whether a client-centered occupational therapy program can improve daily life balance and activity performance and reduce caregiving-related difficulties in caregivers of children with cerebral palsy.

Conditions

• Caregiver
• Occupational Balance
• Occupational Performance
• Occupational Satisfaction

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Client-Centered Occupational Therapy Intervention

The intervention was structured around Wagman and Håkansson's three dimensions of occupational balance: occupational areas, occupations of different characteristics, and time use. Occupational Areas: Focused on self-care, productivity, and leisure. Participants utilized "tiny habits" and habit-stacking strategies to integrate these areas into their daily routines. Occupations of Different Characteristics: Addressed the nature of activities. It combined energy conservation for physical tasks, stress management for mental occupations, and social engagement. A personalized "Occupational Menu" was created to balance active and passive recreation. Time Use: Concentrated on identifying "time consumers" and applying a five-step time management strategy. Participants developed individualized timelines based on their COPM results. Delivered over eight weeks, the program used weekly feedback on time-use patterns to ensure a client-centered approach to achieving occupational harmony.

BEHAVIORAL

Control Group Intervention

The control group received a single-session intervention focused on occupational balance and life pattern awareness, with a mean duration of 45 minutes. The session consisted of a brief psychoeducational presentation covering the concept of occupational balance, the distribution of ADLs, and the role of balanced routines in well-being. Participants were encouraged to reflect on their own daily routines; however, no individualized intervention strategies, goal setting, or structured follow-up were implemented.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Selin Başak Arslaner

  lead OTHER_GOV

Principal Investigators

• Serkan P Pekçetin, Professor · Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-10-08

Primary Completion

2025-03-26

Completion

2025-05-26

Countries

• Turkey (Türkiye)

Study Locations