Award Date

May 2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Occupational Therapy Doctorate

Department

Brain Health

First Committee Member

Donnamarie Krause

Second Committee Member

Sharon Jalene

Number of Pages

97

Abstract

This capstone project investigates the impact of adverse psychosocial factors, such as depression, anxiety, and stress, on effective communication of occupational therapy doctoral (OTD) students with their fieldwork educators (FWEds) during level II fieldwork experiences at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Using a convergent parallel mixed methods design and retrospective analysis, the study integrates quantitative data from the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and qualitative data from the Fieldwork Experience Assessment Tool (FEAT) to explore how these factors affect communication and the management of the adverse psychosocial factors OTD students experience. This study involved 36 OTD students enrolled in the UNLV OTD program who completed the DASS-21 and FEAT assignments during their level II fieldwork experience. There were three collection points during their 12-week fieldwork experience: week one, midterm (week six), and final week (week 12). The findings of this study demonstrated that students with higher levels of symptom severity on the DASS-21 tended to report greater difficulty with communication with their FWEds; however, not all students with adverse psychosocial factors reported communication difficulties. Insights from this research aim to inform curriculum adjustments that address communication barriers, equipping students with the skills and support to navigate adverse psychosocial factors, improve communication, and optimize their fieldwork experiences. This project highlights the importance of addressing mental health and fostering communication to strengthen professional competence and adherence to occupational therapy (OT) standards.

Keywords

Adverse Psychosocial Factors; Communication; Fieldwork Educators; Level II Fieldwork; Occupational Therapy; Occupational Therapy Doctoral Students

Disciplines

Occupational Therapy

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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