An investigation of the professional resilience strategies used by experienced occupational therapists

Journal article


Ashby, Samantha, Watkins, Katrina and Wales, Kylie. (2025). An investigation of the professional resilience strategies used by experienced occupational therapists. Occupational Therapy Journal of Research. 45(1), pp. 131-139. https://doi.org/10.1177/15394492241237740
AuthorsAshby, Samantha, Watkins, Katrina and Wales, Kylie
Abstract

There is a paucity of research into the strategies occupational therapists use to maintain career longevity professional resilience. The objective of the study was to identify the strategies used by occupational therapists to maintain their professional resilience. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data from a cross-sectional survey that investigated the professional resilience strategies used by experienced occupational therapists. Valid responses were received from 489 occupational therapists from 29 countries. The most used professional resilience strategies were maintaining a belief in the value of occupational therapy, taking time for reflection on positive outcomes, using personal time management strategies, and engagement in informal and formal professional support networks. A range of professional resilience strategies are used by experienced occupational therapists in health and social care settings. The findings can be used by managers and workplace organizations to support their occupational therapy workforce.

Keywordsoccupational therapy; work; well-being
Year2025
JournalOccupational Therapy Journal of Research
Journal citation45 (1), pp. 131-139
PublisherSAGE Publications
ISSN1539-4492
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1177/15394492241237740
PubMed ID38491752
Scopus EID2-s2.0-85187933537
PubMed Central IDPMC11571592
Open accessPublished as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
Page range131-139
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online15 Mar 2024
Publication process dates
Deposited28 May 2025
Additional information

© The Author(s) 2024.

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).

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