The Impact of Stressors on Caregiver Decision for Their Child to Attend (re)habilitation Therapy
Mentor Information
Jenna Luque (College of Behavioral and Community Sciences)
Description
Rehabilitation therapy aims to help patients regain a skill or function lost as a result of injury or sickness and consists of Speech Language Pathology (SLP), Occupational Therapy (OT), and Physical Therapy (PT). Consistent therapy attendance is required for adequate progression and goal acquisition through therapy (Super Duper, 2020). This study investigated the impact of encountering different stressful events on a parent/caregiver’s decision for their child to attend rehabilitation therapy. A survey was used to collect data that was designed specifically for the parents/legal guardians of children attending some form of rehabilitation therapy. It consisted of questions involving the parent’s and child’s demographic information and a list of different scenarios in which parents had to decide if they would have their child attend therapy, or if they would cancel, reschedule, or change to online (teletherapy) should the particular circumstance occur. The survey was developed using Qualtrics and was sent via email to multiple rehabilitation therapy centers and posted online. Therapy centers then forwarded the survey to their clients. Eight individuals responded. This resulted in 6 responses for SLP and 6 for OT. The results were analyzed using means and percentages for any patterns that might be present. The results indicated approximately 60% of the responses for OT and SLP chose that they would attend therapy in the given stressful situations. Surprisingly, only one participant indicated that they would change to teletherapy should any of these given situations occur. The results will be further discussed along demographic breakdowns.
The Impact of Stressors on Caregiver Decision for Their Child to Attend (re)habilitation Therapy
Rehabilitation therapy aims to help patients regain a skill or function lost as a result of injury or sickness and consists of Speech Language Pathology (SLP), Occupational Therapy (OT), and Physical Therapy (PT). Consistent therapy attendance is required for adequate progression and goal acquisition through therapy (Super Duper, 2020). This study investigated the impact of encountering different stressful events on a parent/caregiver’s decision for their child to attend rehabilitation therapy. A survey was used to collect data that was designed specifically for the parents/legal guardians of children attending some form of rehabilitation therapy. It consisted of questions involving the parent’s and child’s demographic information and a list of different scenarios in which parents had to decide if they would have their child attend therapy, or if they would cancel, reschedule, or change to online (teletherapy) should the particular circumstance occur. The survey was developed using Qualtrics and was sent via email to multiple rehabilitation therapy centers and posted online. Therapy centers then forwarded the survey to their clients. Eight individuals responded. This resulted in 6 responses for SLP and 6 for OT. The results were analyzed using means and percentages for any patterns that might be present. The results indicated approximately 60% of the responses for OT and SLP chose that they would attend therapy in the given stressful situations. Surprisingly, only one participant indicated that they would change to teletherapy should any of these given situations occur. The results will be further discussed along demographic breakdowns.
