Graduation Year
2025
Document Type
Capstone Project
Project Type
Mixed Methods
Degree Name
Master of Science
Program
Occupational Therapy
Program Chair
Gina Tucker-Roghi, OTD, OTR/L, BCG
Faculty Advisor
Caroline Umeda, PhD, OTR/L
Abstract
Occupational therapy students and practitioners experience high levels of stress due to classroom and professional demands which can lead to burnout. Resilience is found as a protective factor against stress and burnout. Resilience can be defined as the different ways systems work together to achieve better results than expected, after experiencing adversity. Concepts related to resilience include social connection, self-efficacy, and mindfulness. Research done on resilience programming for students has been shown to support students in navigating the hardships of college. Resilience programming has been found to be effective for occupational therapists in the workplace during high work demands. However, there is very little existing research done on resilience programming for occupational therapy students. This research study investigated a resilience program for OT students at Dominican University of California and specifically aimed to explore the perceived value, utilization, and impact of the programming. This study utilized a mixed-methods explanatory design consisting of an online survey and semi- structured interviews. Results from the survey showed that students found co-curricular resources most valuable, with curricular being second, and passive programming being third. Results from the survey showed that curricular programming was the most utilized, then passive programming, and third was co-curricular programming. In the interviews, students cited social connection in their responses as to why resilience programming was valuable. Barriers to participation included lack of accessibility due to academic workloads, commuting to events, student work schedules, and funding. This research provides valuable insights for other OT programs to develop resilience initiatives and the role of resilience in preparing students for future careers.
IRB Number
#11133