Community Participation of School-Age Children: Who is at Risk of Restricted Participation?

This study aimed to identify children with restricted community participation and examine the extent to which the child, family, and environmental factors were associated with restricted participation.

A school-based sample of 92 children with disabilities and 391 children without disabilities aged 5-12 years was recruited in Hong Kong. Parents completed the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth and a demographic questionnaire. Moreover, children completed the Children's Depression Inventory. Rasch analysis was used to determine the criteria that differentiated between children with and without participation restriction, based on frequency of activities. Logistic regression was used to identify the factors associated with participation restriction.

One hundred seventy-three children (35.8% of the sample), including 42 with disabilities, were identified as having restricted participation. Participation restriction was associated with higher depressive symptoms in children (odds ratio (OR) = 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.01, 1.08]), lower environmental resources (OR = 0.97, 95% CI [0.96, 0.99]), and coming from families with three or more children (OR = 2.80, 95% CI [1.44, 5.46]).

The results suggest that a sizable number of children are at risk for restricted participation in the community. Healthcare services and strategies that address the associated factors are needed to promote children's community participation.