This online survey study is being conducted by a group of four occupational therapy (OT) graduate students at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Occupational therapy is a client-centered, comprehensive, and holistic approach to rehabilitative care. An occupational therapist helps individuals engage in their meaningful activities (called occupations) through task modification, adaptation, and education. Specific examples of occupations include dressing, meal preparation, use of communication devices, care of children, medication management, and leisure activities.
The researchers’ correlational survey study is looking to educate OT practitioners on how to better support mothers with MS in their mothering occupations. Examples of mothering occupations include: diaper changing, meal preparation, bathing, and breastfeeding. The study aims to examine the relationship among satisfaction with adaptive equipment, social support, and perceived parental competence in mothers diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
Adaptive equipment is any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.
Social support is “the provision of assistance or comfort to others, typically to help them cope with biological, psychological, and social stressors. Support may arise from any interpersonal relationship in an individual’s social network, involving family members, friends, neighbors, religious institutions, colleagues, caregivers, or support groups” (APA, 2022).
Parental competence is “the practical abilities parents have to nurture, protect, and educate their children, and to ensure them a sufficiently healthy development” (Reparaz et al., 2021).
This particular survey is intended to be taken by mothers with MS and will take about 30 minutes to complete.
To participate, you must:
- Be between the ages of 18-70 years old
- Be diagnosed with MS
- Identify as female
- Delivered/adopted a child within the last 40 years
Survey Link: https://forms.office.com/r/SFhDcqfq1Z
The survey is available for mobile or desktop! For more information, email the research team at:
csudh.otmothering@protonmail.com.
References:
American Psychological Association (APA). (2022). APA Dictionary of Psychology.
https://dictionary.apa.org/social-support
H.R.4278 - 108th Congress (2003-2004): Assistive Technology Act of 2004. (2004, October 25).
https://www.congress.gov/bill/108th-congress/house-bill/4278/text
Reparaz, C., Rivas, S., Osorio, A., & Garcia-Zavala, G. (2021). A Parental Competence Scale: Dimensions and Their Association With Adolescent Outcomes.
Frontiers in Psychology,
12.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.652884