Occupational Balance and Quality of Life Among Hospital-Based Occupational Therapists During the COVID-19 Pandemic

抄録

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the practice of hospital-based occupational therapists (OTs) and this may have influenced their occupational balance (OB) and quality of life (QOL). There is limited literature exploring OTs' OB, QOL, and the relationship between these. This study aimed to measure OB and QOL and their relationship among hospital-based OTs during the pandemic. Using a descriptive-correlational and cross-sectional design, n = 64 participants answered electronic versions of the Occupational Balance Questionnaire-11 (OBQ11) and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Friedman test with a post-hoc pairwise Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare QOL domain scores within-group. Independent t-test and Mann-Whitney Test were used to compare the subgroups' OB and QOL, respectively. 54.69% were classified to have low OB. Mean overall QOL score was 3.59 ± 0.68. QoL domain scores were relatively moderate: 66.67 ± 11.41 (physical); 55.58 ± 15.60 (psychological); 64.48 ± 21.81 (social); and 62.42 ± 14.74 (environmental). OB was significantly correlated with overall QOL (p < 0.001), physical health domain (p < 0.001), psychological domain (p < 0.001), social domain (p = 0.022), and environmental domains (p = 0.005). Low OB and moderate QoL, regardless of sex, work schedule, and hospital funding type, validates the need for improved personal strategies and enhanced organizational support. The positive correlation between OB and QoL contributes to occupational science providing extant evidence on how occupations support health and well-being. Our findings have implications for developing programs that support hospital-based OTs during the pandemic period and beyond.