Occupational therapy and posttraumatic stress disorder: A scoping review

Abstract

Background. People who are diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can experience disruptions in their daily occupations. Occupational therapists may assist clients with PTSD to reengage in meaningful occupations. Purpose. This scoping review aims to identify and describe the ways occupational therapy addresses PTSD in clinical practice. Method. Scholarly databases were searched for documents relating to occupational therapy and PTSD. Two reviewers independently applied selection criteria and systematically extracted information. Data were extracted and synthesized in a narrative format. Findings. Fifty sources met inclusion criteria and three major themes were identified: recognizing trauma within specific populations, PTSD's impact on a range of occupations, and occupational therapy's response to PTSD. Implications. Occupational therapists are working in multidisciplinary teams to reduce the impact of PTSD on the daily occupations of their clients. More effectiveness studies are required to understand the outcomes of occupational therapy interventions for clients with PTSD. Abré gé Description. Les personnes ayant un diagnostic de trouble de stress post-traumatique (TSPT) peuvent vivre une perturbation de leurs occupations quotidiennes. Les ergothérapeutes peuvent aider les clients ayant un TSPT à recommencer à participer à des occupations signifiantes. But. Cet examen de la portée vise à identifier et décrire les façons dont l'ergothérapie aborde le TSPT en pratique clinique. Mé thodologie. Une recension des bases de données de la documentation en ergothérapie a été effectuée pour repérer des documents concernant l'ergothérapie et le TSPT. Deux évaluateurs ont appliqué les critères de sélection de manière indépendante et ont systématiquement extrait de l'information. Les données ont été extraites et synthétisées sous une forme narrative. Ré sultats. Cinquante sources répondaient aux critères de sélection et trois principaux thèmes ont été identifiés: reconnaître le traumatisme au sein de populations spécifiques; le TSPT a un impact sur un éventail d'occupations; et les interventions proposées en ergothérapie pour le TSPT. Consé quences. Les ergothérapeutes travaillent dans des équipes multidisciplinaires pour réduire l'impact des TSPT sur les occupations quotidiennes de leurs clients. D'autres études de l'efficacité sont requises pour mieux comprendre les résultats des interventions ergothérapiques pour les clients ayant un TSPT.

Occupational therapy for military personnel and military veterans experiencing post‐traumatic stress disorder: A scoping review

“…We found it more common for practitioners to combine occupation-based practice with psychological therapies such as trauma counselling, psychological first aid, motivational interviewing, and gatekeeper training. In addition, although Edgelow et al (2019) emphasise the need for occupational therapists to understand the principles of trauma-informed approaches when addressing PTSD, this approach was mentioned only by Rivers and Saunders (2016).…”

“…Occupational therapy practitioners are increasingly concerned with the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on health, quality of life, and occupational performance in sleep (self-care), returning to, or maintaining work (productivity), and decreased interest, motivation, and engagement in leisure pursuits (Edgelow, MacPherson, Arnaly, Tam-Seto, & Cramm, 2019). Within the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), PTSD is defined as a "trauma and stressor-related disorder" as a result of exposure to a traumatic event and consists of a four-factor criteria model (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).…”

“…This paper builds on the work ofEdgelow et al (2019) by aiming to identify the ways occupational therapy supports military personnel and veterans with PTSD. It highlights that for military personnel the majority of publications are service descriptions of occupational therapy interventions which do not provide data on their efficacy.…”

Developing an Occupation-Centred Framework for Trauma Intervention

“…Of primary interest to occupational therapists is the impact trauma can have on daily life. A recent scoping review of 50 articles related to PTSD and occupational therapy found that trauma survivors experience a variety of occupational performance issues (Edgelow et al, 2019). Common issues with self-care involved management and maintenance of health and problems with sleep, including difficulties falling asleep, staying asleep, and nightmares.…”

“…Mental illness costs the Canadian workforce $21 billion in productivity losses each year (Wilson et al, 2016); additionally, the WHO World Mental Health Survey reported that PTSD led to the second highest proportion of "days out of role" per year at 42.7 average days missed (Alonso et al, 2017). Issues with leisure activities included a decreased sense of enjoyment in and motivation to engage in hobbies, as well as decreased social connections and capacity, leading to social isolation (Edgelow et al, 2019). Moreover, despite the resolution of PTSD symptoms, functional deficits can linger (Bryant et al, 2016).…”