Background and Objectives: Many children with (CP) and their families in Saudi Arabia struggle emotionally. Unfortunately, there have not been many studies conducted on how to help them with these challenges. This research aims to bring attention to this gap and to explore how a lack of proper mental health care might affect these children\'s ability to participate in everyday activities. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, a survey was conducted between August and October 2023. A total of 300 parents of CP children from Saudi Arabia participated in the study. The impact of psychological care negligence on the occupational engagement of CP children and their families was assessed by designing a valid questionnaire. Results: A total of 300 parents of children with CP participated in this study. The majority of the sample, 71% of parents, said that their children did not receive any psychological care, and 59.7% of the participants said that their children did not even receive a referral to a psychologist. However, 60.3% of parents of children noticed a significant decline in the occupational performance of their children, and 65.7% predicted an improvement in their children\'s performance with future psychological care. Conclusions: It is clear that there is a lack of awareness about the importance of mental health care for children with CP in Saudi Arabia. This lack of care hinders these children and their families\' occupational engagement and social participation.

UNASSIGNED: Co-occupations within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which include parenting activities, such as bathing, feeding, diapering, comfort care, and bonding for attachment, are consequential for optimal infant development.
UNASSIGNED: This thematic systematic review examines supports and barriers for facilitating co-occupations between parents and infants in the neonatal setting.
UNASSIGNED: A search of four databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and PubMed) resulted in 20 studies that met inclusion criteria for data extraction.
UNASSIGNED: Family-centered NICU design, good communication between parents and NICU staff, increased physical contact, parent involvement in caregiving, psychological wellness, parent education, peer support, and established parental roles are identified as supports to co-occupational engagement. Identified barriers include physical separation, loss of parental role, restrictions of the NICU environment, medical technology, role strain, psychological burden, lack of knowledge, and poor communication.
UNASSIGNED: Findings suggest that neonatal occupational therapy practitioners can facilitate parent-infant co-occupations by addressing barriers and augmenting existing supports.
Parent Perspectives of Co-Occupations in Neonatal Intensive Care: A Thematic Review of Barriers and SupportsThis thematic review explores the current literature to provide information to health care practitioners on supporting caregivers of infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). In the NICU, infants are dependent on life-sustaining tasks, or occupations, that require the participation of both a caregiver and the infant, known as “co-occupations.” The intensity of the NICU environment is stressful to both the infant and caregiver, often limiting the engagement of co-occupations. These co-occupations, which include parenting activities, such as bathing, feeding, diapering, comfort care, and bonding for attachment, are consequential for optimal infant development. Therefore, occupational therapy must address the limitations of this engagement and best provide care that promotes reciprocal participation in these co-occupations. Findings indicate that barriers to parent-infant interactions include separation from the infant, disconnect from the parenting role, restrictions of the NICU, invasive medical technology, role conflicts, psychological impacts of the NICU, lack of medical knowledge and understanding, and poor communication with staff. Supportive factors include family-centered NICU designs, good communication with NICU staff, opportunities for physical contact, parental involvement, psychological support, parent education and support, and the establishment of parenting roles. The thematic analysis in this review informs the best approach for the facilitation of engagement between parents and their infants, by minimizing identifiable barriers and amplifying the presence of supportive factors.

While engagement in meaningful activities is associated with well-being, the influence of gender on this relationship is unknown. The study aims to (a) examine the difference between meaningful engagement and well-being for individuals who identify as men and women and (b) explore the association between engagement and well-being in men and women. In this observational study, 256 community-dwelling individuals completed meaningful engagement and well-being measures. Between-group t tests indicated no significant differences between men and women for engagement (t = 0.595, p = .552) and well-being (t = 0.818, p = .414). There were fair, positive correlations (rs = .376; p < .01) between engagement and well-being for men and moderate positive correlations (rs = .567; p < .01) between engagement and well-being for women. Self-identified gender may influence the relationship between engagement in meaningful activities and the sense of well-being it provides.
Exploring Similarities and Differences in How Meaningful Activities Influence Well-being for Males and FemalesThe study examines the similarities and differences between meaningful engagement and well-being for males and females. Community-dwelling adults completed a demographic questionnaire, the Engagement in Meaningful Activities Survey (EMAS), and the World Health Organization–5 Well-being Index (WHO-5). A total of 256 people participated. There were no differences in the extent of meaningful engagement or well-being between males and females. However, females demonstrated a stronger relationship between engaging in meaningful activities and increased well-being. This indicates that females are more likely to improve their well-being by engaging in activities they find meaningful than males. Cultural and personal stereotypes influence what is considered meaningful and can consequently impact how meaningful engagement connects to well-being. Gender stereotypes are influential on cultural and personal levels and could be influencing the meaning males and females experience during engagement in certain activities. Increasing our understanding of the meaning people experience during everyday tasks can help inform occupational therapy interventions and enhance well-being as an outcome of therapy. More research is needed to further establish the reliability of validity of the EMAS in varied populations. In addition, future research should expand participant options for gender identity rather than restricting it to two choices (male, female).

Return to previously valued occupations is a common goal of individuals following acquired brain injury (ABI). However, the focus of rehabilitation is often on self-care and productivity occupations. Return to leisure should be a priority of rehabilitation to support a person\'s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional well-being. Consequently, the aim of this article was to review the research evidence on engagement in leisure occupations among community-dwelling adults living with ABI. A six-step scoping review was conducted searching five databases. Articles were included if they focused on leisure engagement post-stroke or traumatic brain injury. Seventeen studies were included. Leisure engagement decreased post-ABI with engagement primarily in solitary, sedentary, cognitively inactive, home-based leisure. Leisure engagement was impacted by personal and contextual factors. The findings identify a need to focus on and address changes to leisure following ABI, with exploration of why these changes have occurred beyond personal factors.
Leisure Engagement Among People Living With Acquired Brain Injury: A Scoping ReviewThe article provides a summary of the available literature surrounding engagement in leisure occupations among people with acquired brain injury.

Black married working mothers encounter forms of racism, on the job and in society. However, little attention is given to how these experiences affect their work and family lives. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to examine the narratives of 91 Black women, aged 20 to 55 years, to explore the effects of racism on their key occupational roles of wife, employee, and mother. Four major themes emerged for being a Black employee. Two themes were linked to Black mothering. Five themes were identified for being a Black wife. Also, two new culturally derived occupational roles emerged: advocate and pioneer. Findings suggest that Black married working mothers have unique transformative experiences in their occupational roles solely due to their minoritized status, which impacts their wellbeing. Occupation-based research should focus on racism\'s impact on the wellbeing of minoritized groups as they engage in desired and meaningful occupational roles.
Black Working Mothers Manage Racial StressorsBlack married working mothers encounter chronic forms of racism on the job and in society. However, research on how these experiences impact their work performance, family lives, and overall wellbeing remains limited. This qualitative study reviewed the interview narratives of 91 Detroit-area Black women to discover important themes about the effects of racism on their key occupational roles of wife, employee, and mother. Four major themes emerged for being a Black employee, including the need to be better than White employees while also managing discrimination. The two Black mothering themes focused on safeguarding their children and preparing them for the future. Five themes for Black wives included facing systemic stress and sustaining a marriage while preserving their autonomy. Although the results of this non-random sample cannot be generalized beyond the participants, the findings are instructive and provide a foundation for more comprehensive studies in the future.

UNASSIGNED: National standards for nursing homes in Ireland require that residents are offered a choice of recreational and stimulating activities to meet their needs and preferences.
UNASSIGNED: To investigate residents\' perceptions of leisure and social occupational choice in nursing homes in Ireland to determine if occupational choice is facilitated.
UNASSIGNED: Qualitative-descriptive design - nursing home residents completed two semi-structured interviews that explored their experiences of leisure and social occupational engagement.
UNASSIGNED: Two overarching themes with six associated sub-themes emerged. From residents\' perspectives, social and leisure occupational choice was dependent on: Environmental factors (nursing homes\' Cultural, Social, Physical, and Temporal Environments) and Personal factors (residents\' Health Status and Personal Attitudes).
UNASSIGNED: The cultural environment had the most significant influence on residents\' leisure and social occupational choice, highlighting the importance of person-centred care within nursing homes, to promote occupational choice. Resident\'s health status was also identified as a contributing factor.
UNASSIGNED: Occupational therapists could play a critical role in supporting the leisure and social occupational choices of nursing home residents by developing residents\' skills, educating staff and adapting tasks and the environment to limit/reduce occupational deprivation.

Cognitive self-efficacy (CSE), one\'s belief in their ability to control their cognitive performance, is important for participation in daily activities and rehabilitation. This study aims to understand how Parkinson\'s disease (PD) affects CSE. The Cognitive Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (CSEQ) was administered to 47 non-demented PD and 52 healthy comparison (HC) participants. Groups were compared on their self-reported ability to recognize (Part 1) and manage (Part 2) cognitive symptoms and to perform cognitively complex functional activities (Part 4). Relationships between CSEQ scores and individual characteristics were assessed within PD. It is found that the PD group had lower CSEQ scores than the HC group for all Parts. Within PD, Part 2 scores were lower than Parts 1 and 4; worse depressive symptoms and higher medication dosage correlated with lower CSE. People with PD may have low CSE, which can contribute to participation restrictions and reduced engagement in treatment. Occupational therapists should consider CSE with clients with PD.
Cognitive deficits are common in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and affect their quality of life. In this study, the researchers looked at cognitive self-efficacy (CSE) or the belief in one’s cognitive abilities and compared the CSE of healthy individuals with individuals with PD without dementia. The findings of the study suggest that non-demented individuals with PD have lower CSE as compared with healthy individuals. Furthermore, individuals with PD may have difficulty recognizing and managing their cognitive deficits such as memory deficits or distractibility. This may affect their ability to participate in everyday tasks that require complex cognition such as managing finances or shopping or engaging in therapy interventions focused on cognition. The study also found that greater depressive symptoms and higher dose of dopamine medications in non-demented individuals with PD lowered their CSE. This study recommends that rehabilitation professionals include assessments and interventions on CSE during treatment sessions.

Research related to human-animal engagement often fails to address the complexity and nuance present in occupations and occupational therapy services that incorporate animals. The goal of this research was to develop a basic understanding of multispecies occupations (MSO) involving humans and equines, focusing on the action-oriented processes and transactions during socialization in outdoor, non-therapeutic contexts. We employed a multi-modal qualitative design with interviews and videography with n = 6 horse-human dyads, creating opportunities to understand and represent engagement beyond anthropocentric norms. Findings included a variety of dyad-specific features of occupation, including processes of embodied communication, the presence of behavioral synchrony, and perceptions of attunement arising from these processes. Examining MSO via a multi-modal inquiry offers new perspectives about the nature and experience of such occupations and supports a deeper understanding of potential mechanisms of change when animals are incorporated in occupational therapy interventions and practice.

Young adults make up 10% of strokes that occur in the United States each year. Little research has shown the developmental and occupational disruption as a result of stroke for this population. The objective of this study was to describe young stroke survivors\' perceived disruptions using developmental theory. A multiple methods study was conducted with community-dwelling stroke survivors between the ages of 18 and 40 using Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) measures and qualitative interviews. Five themes were reported from the qualitative data: stroke and health, work and school, romantic relationships, parenting, and other social relationships. PROMIS measure results were not significantly different from the normed population despite challenges revealed during qualitative interviews. Qualitative data showed variations in post-stroke deficits and occupational performance that could not be meaningfully captured by the PROMIS measures alone. Occupational therapy practitioners should use developmental theory to guide their understanding of occupational disruptions in young stroke survivors.
This research paper focuses on the impact of strokes on young adults and their lives. Strokes are usually associated with older individuals, but the number of young adults with stroke is increasing. This study used a theory of human development to define young adulthood as ages 18 to 40. The aim was to understand how strokes affect various aspects of young adults’ lives, including work, relationships, and parenting. They collected data from young stroke survivors using self-rating scales and interviews. The findings show that young stroke survivors experience disruptions in various parts of their lives. Many survivors had trouble recognizing their stroke symptoms at first, and their interactions with medical professionals weren’t always positive. Some faced challenges in returning to work or school, needing accommodations or even having to change jobs. Romantic relationships were also affected, and caregiving roles shifted. Social relationships with friends and family changed as well. The study highlighted that the standardized questionnaires didn’t fully capture the depth of disruptions experienced by young stroke survivors.

The purpose of this secondary qualitative analysis was to explore the play interactions of children with autism (n = 10) and their pets in the home environment. Researchers coded 115 minutes of video of children playing with their pets at home and transcripts from eight caregiver interviews. Thematic analysis revealed six codes which represented three themes, including children with ASD play with pets in a variety of ways, playing with pets supports child development, and playing with pets yields benefits for children with ASD. Findings suggest playing with pets may be beneficial for developing responsibility and social skills of children with ASD, particularly in how they interact with animals. Future research should examine perspectives of families who do not own or who have relinquished pets and perspectives of adults with ASD to better understand positive and negative aspects of pet play.