Occupation-based intervention for instrumental activities of daily living in people with disabilities: a single-blinded randomised controlled trial

Abstract

Background/Aims Instrumental activities of daily living are meaningful and purposeful activities that contribute meaning to people's lives and reflect their values and cultures in the community. This study investigated the effects of an occupation-based intervention for instrumental activities of daily living on stress levels, quality of life, and participation in instrumental activities of daily living in people with disabilities. Methods A total of 18 people with different types of disabilities (intervention group n=9, control group n=9) were recruited. The occupation-based intervention took place in 45-minute sessions, with a total of 16 sessions held twice a week for 8 weeks. The measurement tools used were the Lawton–Brody Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale and the Waisman Activities of Daily Living Scale to evaluate activities of daily living, the Mini-Mental State Examination to examine cognitive status, the 36-item Short Form Survey questionnaire to assess quality of life, the Perceived Stress Scale to examine stress level, and the Community Integration Questionnaire to evaluate participation in the community were used. Results After 8 weeks, there were significant improvements in performance and participation in instrumental activities of daily living, stress and quality of life in the intervention group intervention group had significant increases in instrumental activities of daily living (z=−2.6, P=0.008), vitality (z=−0.5, P=0.041), role emotional (z=−2.7, P=0.008), role physical (z=−2.3, P=0.020), general health (z=−3.3, P=0.001) and participation (z=−1.3, P=0.023). There were also significant reductions in stress (z=−2.8, P=0.005) and bodily pain (z=−3.2, P=0.001) scores compared to the control group Conclusions The occupation-based intervention reduced the stress levels of people with a range of disabilities and increased their ability to perform activities of daily living], participation in activities of daily living and improved their quality of life. Implications for practice Occupational therapists could use occupation-based interventions to reduce the stress levels of people with disabilities and increase their performance and participation in activities of daily living and improve their quality of life.