Occupational Performance Coaching for Mothers of Children with Disabilities in India

Background. Occupational Performance Coaching (OPC) aims to help mothers plan and manage theirs and their children’s occupational performance.Purpose. To assess the effectiveness of OPC in improving occupational performance and parenting competence of mothers of children with disabilities in an Indian context.Method. Mixed method design was used. Thirty-six mothers were assigned to intervention or control groups. Occupational performance and parenting competence were measured at three time points. Semi-structured interviews were used.Findings. OPC had significant effects on children’s occupational performance (p< 0.001), mothers’ occupational performance (p< 0.001), and self-competence (p= 0.003). There was also a significant difference between control and intervention groups in occupational performance (p= 0.001) and satisfaction (p= 0.003). Interviews revealed three themes: acceptance, self-learning, and challenges during OPC.Implications. OPC is effective in improving the occupational performance and parenting competence of mothers of children with disabilities in varied cultural contexts.