A multivariable analysis of childhood psychosocial behaviour and household functionality.

BACKGROUND: Social determinants of health play a vital role in population health. Awareness of household social factors and their impact on health can help health professionals to provide effective strategies in health promotion, especially for children and adolescents showing signs of psychosocial dysfunction. The objective of this study was to explore the association between parents' perceptions of the psychosocial behaviour of their children and the functionality of their household. METHODS: This cohort study analysed data from the Coordinated Health Care for Complex Kids programme. The sample included 293 parents of children aged 4-17 years with chronic conditions, and from urban, low-income families. Psychosocial behaviour of the child was measured using the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-17), which included subscales for internal, external, and attention symptoms. Household functionality was measured using the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale. Responses to both assessments were scored in a standard manner. RESULTS: There was a significant association between parents' perceptions of the psychosocial behaviour of their children and the functionality of the home environment. The mean Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale scores in the home environment improved from baseline to the first reassessment (the period between the two assessments ranged from 4 to 8 months). Additionally, positive PSC-17 screening results of the children decreased by 11% in the first reassessment. The odds of having a positive PSC-17 screening result also decreased in the first reassessment after receiving interventions. CONCLUSION: The association between psychosocial dysfunction and household functionality indicates the importance of family-centred care and taking the home environment into consideration when administering health services to low-income children with chronic conditions. This study brings attention to the more hidden factors that influence child mental health, which must be addressed to improve care delivery and child health outcomes.

Unpacking University-Community Partnerships to Advance Scholarship of Practice.

Today, more than ever, occupational therapists are engaged in close partnerships with community organizations and community settings such as service agencies, refugee and immigrant enclaves, and faith-based organizations, to name a few, for the purpose of engaging in scholarship of practice. However, we know little about the views of community partners regarding the development and sustainability of university-community partnerships. The purpose of this article is twofold: First, we will describe a pilot study in which we gathered qualitative data from community partners engaged in scholarship of practice with faculty and students, regarding their views about benefits of partnerships, challenges, and characteristics of sustainable partnerships. Second, based on this pilot study and extensive experience of the authors, we propose a revised version of a partnerships model available in the literature. We illustrate the model through examples of the authors' collective experiences developing and sustaining successful university-community partnerships.

Social Participation and Disability among Children from Underserved Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Households.

The population of immigrant children in the United States has increased dramatically. Little is known about how immigrant children, especially those with disabilities, fare on outcomes relevant to occupational therapy such as participation in home, school, and community activities. Using secondary data from the Making Connections survey, we compared social participation outcomes and predictors for children with/without disabilities from underserved immigrant and nonimmigrant households in a sample of 2,295 children aged 3 to 17 years. We found that social participation rates differed significantly for children based on their disability and immigrant status and were lowest for immigrant children with disabilities. Several contextual factors were found to be associated with social participation of immigrant children, such as health insurance coverage, household education, household connectedness with the neighborhood, and access to computers and the Internet. Implications of these findings for occupational therapy practice and research are discussed.

A Scholarship of Practice Revisited: Creating Community-Engaged Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Educators, and Scholars.

Trends in policy, practice, and research point to the need for a community-engaged Scholarship of Practice (SOP) model that can be used to inform the development of occupational therapy practitioners, educators, and researchers. This article describes a community-engaged SOP model, the evidence justifying the need for such a model, and strategies to effectively create community-engaged practitioners, educators and career scientists within occupational therapy. We highlight several examples of community-based participatory research to further inform this model, and in turn, translate this knowledge back to communities for action and systems change that can affect the lives of people with disabilities and the communities in which they seek to live and participate long term.