Presenter
Chapin Graham, OT/S
Document Type
Poster
Publication Date
2025
Abstract
Patients within a forensic setting experience occupational deprivation. This impacts their mental health outcomes, aggressive tendencies, and overall wellness. The purpose of this study was to explore how the setting and achieving of self-directed goals impact forensic patients’ occupational deprivation. The study was a single-group, pre- and post-test pilot study. Participants completed the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) before and after a 10-week treatment period. Treatment included an educational group therapy session one time a week aimed at goal setting and a one-to-one session once per week aimed at setting goals and achieving them. Observation notes were completed after every group and one to one session. They were reviewed by three researchers to identify common themes. The study was completed at an inpatient forensic hospital. Participants resided on the most stable unit of the hospital due to the long-term nature of their stay. Participants had a variety of severe mental health diagnoses. They were included in the study if they had been hospitalized for a year at the time of recruitment, had not had a behavioral incident that resulted in manual restraints for a year at the time of recruitment, did not have a primary diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder, did not have an imminent discharge date, and had signed the consent form. Nine patients signed the consent form and eight completed the study.
Faculty Mentor
Nancy Dooley, Ph.D., OTR/L, CDP, FAOTA
Academic Discipline
College of Health & Wellness
Repository Citation
Graham, Chapin, "Self-directed Goals for Forensic Patients" (2025). Student Research Design & Innovation Symposium. 203.
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/innov_symposium/203
