Marie-Christine Ranger: 2018 COTF Doctoral Scholarship Recipient
Project title: Family Occupational Balance: The Lived Experience of Dual Earner Parents and their School-Aged Children
Impact of research project on clients:
Occupational balance is related to the well-being of individuals and in a broader sense to the well-being of families. This study combines an individual and a family perspective of the lived experience and meaning of occupational balance for families formed by dual-earner parents with school-aged children.
While individuals with disabilities are not the focus of the present study, it is a first step to understand occupational balance from a family perspective. The results of this study will provide occupational therapists with a more detailed comprehension of family occupations and how their orchestration may contribute to individual and family well-being.
In practice, this improved understanding will permit therapists to recognize the influence of family context and dynamics and better adjust their interventions and home program prescriptions to the needs of the individual child and their family. Attitudes and expectations around family involvement may be influenced.
Additionally, occupational therapists could play an advocacy role vis-à-vis policy makers and employers around resources and services that encourage balanced routines for families.