Psychosocial Occupational Therapy Interventions for Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: A Scoping Review

Background: We aimed to examine the psychosocial interventions used by occupational therapists in managing pediatric TBI, and to identify unique psychosocial needs in this population. Methods: The scoping review was guided by Arksey and O\u27Malley\u27s framework. Four databases were searched for relevant studies namely: Embase (Elsevier), Medline (PubMed), Cochrane Library, and PsycNet. Included studies were studies written in English reporting on psychosocial interventions for pediatric TBI by occupational therapists and/or the psychosocial needs of children with TBI. Results: The search identified 13 relevant studies published from 2006 to 2020. Multiple psychosocial interventions were pinpointed in these studies, but only cognitive rehabilitation was found to significantly improve participants’ performances. Social and emotional difficulties were the most common psychosocial needs reported in the studies. Conclusions: This scoping review revealed knowledge gaps in the long-term outcomes of psychosocial treatments for pediatric TBI by occupational therapists. Most studies were conducted in a small population and tools for measuring outcomes were inconsistent. Replication of included studies in larger samples and with a longer follow-up duration is required

Barriers and Facilitators of a Sense of Belonging Among Occupational Therapy Students and Faculty: A Qualitative Study Using the Ecology of Human Performance Framework

A sense of belonging significantly influences both student engagement and faculty motivation. The objective of this study was to identify the barriers and facilitators of a sense of belonging among students and faculty of an occupational therapy department. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted with fifty-one students and ten faculty recruited via non-random purposeful sampling. Data were collected through focus group discussions with students and semi-structured interviews with faculty. Both the focus group discussions and interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed by a professional transcription service. Inductive coding was used to identify initial themes, which were then deductively mapped to the context construct of the Ecology of Human Performance (EHP) Framework. Five main themes emerged from the focus group discussions with students: personal challenges and emotional stressors, triggers in the learning environment, peer support and cohort dynamics, faculty support and engagement, and cultural sensitivity and representation. Three main themes emerged from the faculty interviews: leadership and team cohesion, membership in social groups and committees, and the physical environment and proximity to students. Mapping these themes to the EHP framework revealed that the physical and social environments had the greatest impact on the sense of belonging for both students and faculty in this study. Increasing opportunities for social interactions and addressing physical barriers to student-faculty engagement can enhance the sense of belonging in occupational therapy educational settings