A profile of Australian occupational therapy academic workforce job satisfaction.

INTRODUCTION: There has been an increase in the number of Australian occupational therapy education programmes and student enrolment numbers in existing programmes, whereas there is a perceived current and predicted future workforce shortage of qualified university academics. The aim of the study was to map the current Australian occupational therapy academic workforce and investigate the group's job satisfaction. METHODS: The research was a cross-sectional online survey of Australian occupational therapy academics employed part-time or full-time in fixed or ongoing positions. The survey included the Job Satisfaction Survey. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Spearman rho correlations, and linear and multi-linear regressions. RESULTS: Responses were received from 120 participants who met inclusion criteria, with 89% of the sample being women, 83% employed in ongoing positions and 61% employed full-time. Over half had a PhD or professional doctorate and similarly, over half were employed in lecturer or level B positions. One quarter of respondents were in teaching-only positions and 58% were in combined teaching and research positions. Nearly half were over 46 years of age. Respondents reported that they were satisfied with supervision, the nature of the work, and co-workers; however, were dissatisfied with operating conditions and were ambivalent about pay, contingent rewards, opportunities for promotion, communication, and fringe benefits. Most participants were motivated by teaching students but reported unrealistic workload requirements as their greatest challenge. CONCLUSION: The Australian occupational therapy academic workforce is relatively stable with most in ongoing positions; however, there are fewer in senior positions. The majority of respondents were in lecturer or level B positions, with lowest levels of satisfaction, particularly those who had been at this level longer. Workload expectations and lack of opportunities for promotion contributed to marked job dissatisfaction. Workforce planning, including recruitment and retention strategies, is needed to address predicted increased demands.

Strategies occupational therapists use to engage children and parents in therapy sessions.

Occupational therapists implicitly rely on tacit knowledge to inform the strategies they use to engage children and parents in a therapy session. OBJECTIVE: To identify strategies occupational therapists use in a therapy session to engage children and parents. METHODS: A qualitative approach was employed using interpretive description methodology. This involved seven therapy session observations with six occupational therapists (involving child, parent and therapist) and a key informant interview with the therapist after each session. Thematic analysis was undertaken. RESULTS: Two themes emerged. (a) 'Engaging the child' included 'building a connection', 'attending to feelings', 'thoughts and behaviours', 'structuring or designing the session', 'giving choice and respecting their choice', 'use of self', 'helping the child feel success' and 'helping the child understand and explore'. (b) 'Engaging the parent' included 'connecting', 'listening', 'explaining', 'demonstrating anddiscussing', 'including the parent and valuing their input' and 'collaborating'. CONCLUSIONS: The strategies therapists used to engage children and families can be mapped with autonomy, relatedness- and competence-supportive strategies of Self-Determination Theory. Therapist attunement and responsiveness to the child as well as collaboration with the parent were strategies that represented all aspects of SDT.

Measures of Parent Engagement for Children Receiving Developmental or Rehabilitation Interventions: A Systematic Review.

AIM: To examine the conceptual and clinometric properties of measures for parent engagement in developmental or rehabilitation interventions for children and youth (<18 years of age). METHODS: Four electronic databases were searched. Studies were included if they reported measures of at least one domain of parent engagement (i.e. affective, cognitive or behavioral). Reviewers independently identified measures and evaluated studies using the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments (COSMIN) and the CanChild Outcome Measures Rating Form. RESULTS: A total of 9,500 unique papers were retrieved, and 36 reported parent engagement measurement. Four measures met inclusion criteria: the Parent Involvement Index (PII), the Parent Participation Measure (PPM), the General Adherence subscale of the Medical Outcomes Study (GAMOS) and the Triadic Intervention and Evaluation Rating Scale (TIERS). No measure captured all domains of in-session parent engagement. Two addressed out-of-session parent engagement. There were limitations in validity and reliability. CONCLUSIONS: Few measures of parent engagement are available. Existing measures mostly captured the behavioral domain of in-session engagement, and none assessed cognitive or affective aspects of engagement. Out-of-session engagement was infrequently captured. There is currently no comprehensive measure of parent engagement in pediatric developmental and rehabilitation services that demonstrates good clinical utility or is conceptually and psychometrically sound.

The Belief in Goal Self-Competence Scale (BiGSS) - exploring a new way to support individual goal pursuit and document occupational therapy outcomes in paediatric practice.

AIM: The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) is an outcome measure of clients' self perceptions of performance and satisfaction with occupational performance and is widely used in paediatric research. The aim of this study was to explore how a new outcome measure, the Belief in Goal Self-Competence Scale (BiGSS), was perceived by paediatric occupational therapists to compliment the COPM as a way of documenting client confidence in goal pursuit. METHODS: Two hundred and forty-one occupational therapists participated in an online survey through paediatric listserv groups and professional networks. Therapists' views about goal setting and the utility of the BiGSS were analysed descriptively and open ended questions were analysed thematically. RESULTS: Overall, goal setting was viewed as a highly important aspect of therapy (n = 221, 90.7%) although only 22% (n = 52) of respondents indicated using formal goal setting tools. For the subset of respondents who frequently used the COPM (n = 101, 42%) almost all (97.87%) indicated that they would find the BiGSS to be moderately or highly useful to their current practice. Suggestions for improvement of the measure involved wording and formatting. CONCLUSION: This study supports existing evidence that goal setting is highly valued by occupational therapists, however, formal tools are not always used. There was preliminary support for a measure such as the BiGSS as a means of documenting children's and families confidence in goal pursuit.

Enhancing retention of occupational therapists working in mental health: relationships between wellbeing at work and turnover intention.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Occupational therapists working in mental health who experience burnout, low work engagement or poor job satisfaction are at risk of poor wellbeing at work and may be more likely to leave their jobs. The aim of this project was to explore factors associated with wellbeing at work and turnover intention in a sample of occupational therapists working in mental health. METHODS: One hundred and three occupational therapists working in mental health in Queensland completed a survey exploring work/life balance, effort invested in work, rewards received from work, wellbeing at work (job satisfaction, burnout and work engagement) and turnover intention. Analyses were conducted to explore relationships between work/life balance, effort, reward, wellbeing at work and turnover intention. RESULTS: All measures of wellbeing at work were significantly associated with turnover intention. A large proportion (33%) of the variance in turnover intention was predicted by job satisfaction. Perceptions of both work/life balance and effort invested in work, as well as perceived rewards in terms of recognition, prestige and personal satisfaction were significantly associated with work-related wellbeing scores. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: Results from this study deepen the understanding of factors associated with wellbeing at work and turnover intention for occupational therapists in mental health. This knowledge will support the development of interventions aimed at reducing turnover intention and enhancing retention of occupational therapists in the mental health workforce.

Australian occupational therapy academic workforce: An examination of retention, work-engagement, and role overload issues.

BACKGROUND: The quality of the academic workforce is influenced by multi-level interactionist factors yet there is limited research into these influencing factors. AIM: To investigate relationships between individual characteristics of Australian occupational therapy academics and work-related variables. METHOD: An exploratory cross-sectional online survey collected demographic data and used standardized scales including the Turnover Intention Scale, 9-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, Work-Life Balance Scale, Role Overload Scale and Self-Defined Burnout Scale. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: Academics who were more than five years in their current academic level were: significantly more likely to consider leaving their job; more often frustrated when not given opportunity to achieve their work-related goals; and less engaged. Those who had worked in higher education for longer than ten years were more likely to report role overload while participants working in higher education for less than five years were less likely to report burnout. CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE: To meet current and future demand for Australian occupational therapists, an engaged and supported academic workforce is needed. These findings suggest the need for attention to mentoring and career development particularly for those in academic levels longer than five years to increase work engagement and retention.

Participation, self-concept and motor performance of boys with developmental coordination disorder: a classification and regression tree analysis approach.

AIM: Identification of relationships between participation, psycho-social adjustment and motor performance factors in boys with developmental coordination (DCD) using a classification and regression tree approach to determine patterns of potential vulnerability. METHODS: A quantitative cross-sectional design investigating a cohort of 60 boys aged 10-13 years with DCD was employed. Classification and regression tree analysis of: (i) fundamental movement skill performance on tests of balance, ball skills and manual dexterity, (ii) self-concept perceptions and (iii) leisure-time activity participation, was used to define different risk groups. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Five meaningful groups of boys were identified. Poor manual dexterity was the strongest discriminator of group membership in the three most severely affected groups confirming the significance of fine motor difficulties as a key grouping variable and supporting previous research using cluster analyses. Low participation in out-of-school informal social-physical activities was found to be a new grouping factor alongside poor peer relations self-concept. A final group describing boys with poor motor performance across all fundamental movement skill areas who had high participation in structured social non-physical activities, such as choir or band, was identified. The potential for future classification and regression tree analyses to inform clinical decision making was discussed.

Neurodegeneration Induced by Anti-IgLON5 Antibodies Studied in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Human Neurons.

Anti-IgLON5 disease is a progressive neurological disorder associated with autoantibodies against a neuronal cell adhesion molecule, IgLON5. In human postmortem brain tissue, the neurodegeneration and accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau) are found. Whether IgLON5 antibodies induce neurodegeneration or neurodegeneration provokes an immune response causing inflammation and antibody formation remains to be elucidated. We investigated the effects of anti-IgLON5 antibodies on human neurons. Human neural stem cells were differentiated for 14-48 days and exposed from Days 9 to 14 (short-term) or Days 13 to 48 (long-term) to either (i) IgG from a patient with confirmed anti-IgLON5 antibodies or (ii) IgG from healthy controls. The electrical activity of neurons was quantified using multielectrode array assays. Cultures were immunostained for ß-tubulin III and p-tau and counterstained with 4',6-Diamidine-2'-phenylindole dihydrochloride (DAPI). To study the impact on synapses, cultures were also immunostained for the synaptic proteins postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) and synaptophysin. A lactate dehydrogenase release assay and nuclei morphology analysis were used to assess cell viability. Cultures exposed to anti-IgLON5 antibodies showed reduced neuronal spike rate and synaptic protein content, and the proportion of neurons with degenerative appearance including p-tau (T205)-positive neurons was higher when compared to cultures exposed to control IgG. In addition, cell death was increased in cultures exposed to anti-IgLON5 IgG for 21 days. In conclusion, pathological anti-IgLON5 antibodies induce neurodegenerative changes and cell death in human neurons. This supports the hypothesis that autoantibodies may induce the neurodegenerative changes found in patients with anti-IgLON5-mediated disease. Furthermore, this study highlights the potential use of stem cell-based in vitro models for investigations of antibody-mediated diseases. As anti-IgLON5 disease is heterogeneous, more studies with different IgLON5 antibody samples tested on human neurons are needed.

A brief office-based hazard perception intervention for drivers with ADHD symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop a simple and brief hazard perception training intervention tailored to meet the needs of male drivers with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder symptoms. METHODS: Twenty male drivers with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder symptoms were quasi-randomly assigned to either a hazard perception training package (trained group) or a control intervention video (untrained group), presented in an office setting. Video-based hazard perception tests involving real-life driving scenes were conducted both before and after the interventions. RESULTS: The hazard perception response times of the trained group significantly improved compared with the untrained group, t (18) = 3.21, p < 0.005. CONCLUSIONS: Significant improvements in hazard perception response times in male drivers with attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder symptoms were found following the training intervention. This indicates that such training has potential for inclusion in a management plan for reducing the crash rates of this high risk group of drivers. The training is practical, quick, and affordable, and has the potential to translate into real-world driving outcomes.

Parent engagement and disengagement in paediatric settings: an occupational therapy perspective.

Purpose: This study aimed to understand parent engagement and disengagement in the delivery of occupational therapy to their children.Methods: This study used a qualitative interpretive description methodology. Focus groups and individual interviews were employed. Thirty-two occupational therapists participated in focusgroups or one-on-one interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.Results: Thematic analysis of the data revealed two overarching themes which influenced parent engagement and disengagement in therapy: (1) Parent-therapist relationship and; (2) Therapist responsiveness. Within these two themes: parent feelings; time and timing of therapy; levels of engagement and factors influencing parent engagement were evident.Conclusions: Findings contribute to understanding parent engagement and disengagement in therapy. The findings extend current models of therapeutic engagement in occupational therapy informed by self-determination theory (SDT). Autonomy-, relatedness- and competence-supportive SDT strategies to enhance parent engagement in therapy are described.Implications for RehabilitationOccupational therapists reported that parents experience a range of feelings when engaged and disengaged in therapy. These feelings related to hopelessness, having confidence in the therapist and feeling supported, validated and empowered. Parent engagement and disengagement in therapy was described by occupational therapists as occurring at different levels: when it works well (engaged); engaged in the idea of therapy but not engaged in the doing of therapy (middle ground engagement); and when it doesn't work well (disengagement).Occupational therapists reported the importance of being aware of how the factor of time and family, service and therapist characteristics can variously impact parent engagement in therapy.Occupational therapists focus on the parent-therapist relationship and being responsive to parent needs and feelings when engaging parents in therapy.Occupational therapists can draw on principles from self-determination theory to guide them regarding the selection of strategies to engage parents in therapy.

The Engaged Child in Occupational Therapy.

BACKGROUND.: Achieving optimal outcomes for children in occupational therapy settings is influenced, in part, by their engagement. The nature of child engagement from the occupational therapy perspective remains relatively unexplored. METHOD.: A qualitative research methodology was adopted, using an interpretive description approach. Thirty-two occupational therapists participated in five focus groups and six individual interviews that were thematically analyzed. FINDINGS.: Four themes emerged from the data: (i) signs of child engagement and disengagement; (ii) it's about the child feeling safe; (iii) a sense of meaning and purpose; and (iv) service and therapist factors influencing child engagement. IMPLICATIONS.: Helping the child feel safe; providing meaningful experiences; and being flexible and responsive were key means of connecting with, and supporting, child engagement. Strategies occupational therapists reportedly used to engage the child aligned with the tenets of self-determination theory (autonomy, relatedness, and competence).

Loneliness and life satisfaction of boys with developmental coordination disorder: the impact of leisure participation and perceived freedom in leisure.

A theoretical model linking motor ability with perceived freedom in leisure, participation in team sports, loneliness, and global life satisfaction was tested using linear confirmatory path analysis. Participants were 173 boys aged 10-13 years who filled in self-report questionnaires about perceived freedom in leisure, loneliness, and global life satisfaction. Parents of boys completed 7-day diaries and 12-month retrospective recall questionnaires about their son's leisure-time activity participation. Results of path analyses confirmed that the fit of the hypothetical model was consistent with predictions. The inferred direct pathways of influence between both total loneliness and global life satisfaction on motor ability were in the expected directions (i.e., inverse and positive relationships, respectively). Perceived Freedom in Leisure (PFL) and participation in team sports were two intermediate variables indirectly influencing these relationships. Although PFL was identified as a motivational process influencing participation levels in team sports it was noted that other psychological and environmental factors must also be considered when evaluating child-activity-environment fit for boys with developmental coordination disorder.

Optimising motivation and reducing burnout for radiation oncology trainees: A framework using self-determination theory.

Radiation oncology trainees in Australia and New Zealand have relatively high levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation which are core components of burnout. The stresses of a demanding clinical load, studying for exams as well as family commitments are all contributing factors. Self-Deter mination Theory (SDT) provides a framework for optimising motivation which may be intrinsic or extrinsic. The three core components of SDT are competence, relatedness and autonomy. These factors should be addressed at a college level, Institutional and a personal level if the best outcomes are to be achieved. An environment that supports the individual's experience of competency, relatedness and autonomy will foster motivation and work engagement which in turn will improve performance, energy, resilience and creativity and reduce levels of burnout.

Boys with developmental coordination disorder: loneliness and team sports participation.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the mediational role of team sports and other leisure occupations for boys ages 10 to 13 years in the relationship between physical coordination ability and perceptions of loneliness. METHOD: Sixty boys with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and 113 comparison boys without DCD completed a self-report measure of loneliness. Parents recorded information on leisure involvement over 7 days. RESULTS: Boys with DCD recorded significantly higher loneliness and lower participation rates in all group physical activities, whether structured (e.g., team sports) or unstructured (e.g., informal outdoor play) than boys without DCD. An inverse relationship between physical coordination ability and loneliness was mediated by participation in team sports. No other leisure pursuits were found to be significant mediators. Childhood physical coordination difficulties were significantly associated with loneliness. CONCLUSION: Participation in team sports acted as one potential mechanism mediating the inverse relationship between physical coordination ability and loneliness in boys. Occupational therapists can act as advocates to support boys with DCD who choose to participate in team sports. Further investigations are recommended to determine aspects of team sports environments that promote an optimal fit among child, activity, and environment.

General self-concept and life satisfaction for boys with differing levels of physical coordination: the role of goal orientations and leisure participation.

Participation in leisure-time activities, self-concept perceptions and individual dispositional goal orientations were examined as mediators of relationships between physical coordination and self-evaluations of life satisfaction and general self-concept for 173 boys aged 10-13 years. Participants completed seven-day activity diaries and 12-month retrospective recall questionnaires recording participation in leisure-time activities. Self-report measures of self-concept, global life satisfaction and dispositional goal orientations were also completed. Results showed that boys with moderate to severe physical coordination difficulties had significantly lower self-concept perceptions of physical ability and appearance, peer and parent relations and general self-concept, as well as lower life satisfaction than boys with medium to high levels of physical coordination. The relationships between boys' physical coordination and their self-perceptions of life satisfaction and general self-concept were significantly influenced by individual self-concept appraisals of physical ability and appearance, peer and parent relations. Adopting task-oriented goals was found to positively change the relationship between physical coordination and both general self-concept and life satisfaction. Team sport participation positively mediated the relationship between physical coordination and life satisfaction. The potential for team sport participation and adoption of task-oriented goals to influence life satisfaction for boys with differing levels of physical coordination was discussed.

Work engagement in cancer care: The power of co-worker and supervisor support.

PURPOSE: Co-worker and supervisor support can provide knowledge, advice and expertise which may improve motivation, confidence and skills. This exploratory study aimed to examine the association of co-worker and supervisor support, and other socio-demographic and practice variables with work engagement for cancer workers. METHODS: The study surveyed 573 cancer workers in Queensland (response rate 56%). Study participants completed surveys containing demographics and psychosocial questionnaires measuring work engagement, co-worker and supervisor support. Of these respondents, a total of 553 responded to the items measuring work engagement and this forms the basis for the present analyses. Oncology nurses represented the largest professional group (37%) followed by radiation therapists (22%). About 54% of the workforce was aged >35 years and 81% were female. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify explanatory variables independently associated with work engagement for cancer workers. RESULTS: After adjusting for the effects of other factors, co-worker and supervisor support were both significantly associated with work engagement. Having 16 years or more experience, being directly involved in patient care, having children and not being a shift worker were positively associated with work engagement. Annual absenteeism of six days or more was associated with low work engagement. The fitted model explained 23% of the total variability in work engagement. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasises that health care managers need to promote co-worker and supervisor support in order to optimise work engagement with special attention to those who are not directly involved in patient care.

Evaluation of the effect of a 1-day interventional workshop on recovery from job stress for radiation therapists and oncology nurses: A randomised trial.

INTRODUCTION: Cancer care workers experience high levels of occupational stress that can have adverse mental and physical health consequences. Educating health professionals about self-care practices throughout their careers can potentially build resilience. Our study aimed to evaluate the effects of an educational intervention to improve recovery from job stress, increase satisfaction with current self-care practices and improve sleep quality. METHODS: An equivalent, randomised comparison, pretest-post-test intervention design was used to investigate the effects of a 1-day workshop (plus educational material) compared with written educational material alone, on measures of recovery experiences (i.e. psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery experiences and control over leisure), satisfaction with recovery-related self-care practices and perceived sleep quality of 70 cancer care workers. RESULTS: Workshop participants reported greater mean changes 6 weeks post-workshop for total recovery experiences (F(1,69) = 8.145, P = .008), self-care satisfaction (F(1,69) = 8.277, P = .005) and perceived sleep quality (F(1,69) = 9.611, P = .003). There was a decline in the scores of the control group over the 6-week period for all measures. Workshop participants not only avoided this decline, but demonstrated increased mean scores, with a significant main effect 6 weeks post-workshop, compared with the control group (F(3,63) = 4.262, P = .008). CONCLUSIONS: A 1-day intervention workshop improved recovery skills, satisfaction with self-care practices and perceived sleep quality of oncology nurses and radiation therapists. Outcomes were enhanced when participants actively participated in experiential group-based learning compared with receiving written material alone. This intervention has the potential to enhance resilience and prevent burnout at different points in a cancer worker's career.

Recovery experience and burnout in cancer workers in Queensland.

PURPOSE: Two key recovery experiences mediating the relationship between work demands and well-being are psychological detachment and relaxation over leisure time. The process of recovery from work-related stress plays an important role in maintaining well-being, but is poorly understood in cancer workers. The aim of this exploratory study was to examine the relationships of burnout, psychological well-being and work engagement with the recovery experiences of psychological detachment and relaxation in oncology staff. METHODS: A cross sectional survey of 573 cancer workers in Queensland was conducted (response rate 56%). Oncology nurses (n = 211) represented the largest professional group. Staff completed surveys containing demographics and psychosocial questionnaires measuring burnout, psychological distress, work engagement and recovery experience. Multiple regression analyses were performed to identify explanatory variables which were independently associated with Recovery Experience Score (RES). RESULTS: There was a negative association between the RES and burnout (p = 0.002) as well as psychological distress (p < 0.0001), but not work engagement. Age >25 years was negatively correlated with RES as was having a post graduate qualification, being married or divorced, having carer commitments. Participating in strenuous exercise was associated with high recovery (p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: The two recovery experiences of psychological detachment and relaxation had a strong negative association to burnout and psychological well-being, but not work engagement. Further research needs to be undertaken to better understand if improving recovery experience reduces burnout and improves the well-being of cancer workers.

Can I play too? Physical activity engagement of children with developmental coordination disorders.

BACKGROUND: Children with developmental coordination disorders (DCD) are less physically active and have significantly different patterns of social and physical play than their well-coordinated peers. FACTORS: The impact of motor incoordination on physical activity engagements throughout life is influenced by a multitude of factors. External factors such as the social, cultural and physical environment may act as either supports or barriers to active physical involvement. Individual characteristics including the unique physical and psychological attributes of the child with motor coordination difficulties also impact on engagement in physically active occupations. RESULT: A model is proposed that conceptualizes the multiple dimensions which impinge on the decisions to select, engage and persist in physical activities for children with developmental coordination disorders. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: The occupational therapist's role in promoting a balanced and physically active lifestyle is explored. Interventions to increase physical activity participation for children with DCD are dependent on a full understanding of the complex, multi-dimensional correlates of occupational engagement.