Occupational Therapy Interventions in Mental Health During Lockdown: A Scoping Review.

Area of Science:

• Mental Health
• Occupational Therapy
• Public Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns significantly disrupted traditional mental health care delivery.
• There was a critical need to adapt therapeutic practices to maintain access to mental health services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the nature and aims of occupational therapy (OT) interventions within mental health during the COVID-19 lockdown.
• To provide insights for occupational therapists on delivering services when in-person care is limited.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was conducted following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
• Systematic searches were performed across multiple databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, OTSeeker, PsycINFO, Web of Science).
• Included studies were intervention-based (randomized or non-randomized) focusing on OT in mental health during the COVID-19 period.

Main Results:

• Seven articles were included in the review.
• Occupational therapy interventions were primarily delivered via video call (4 studies) and in-person (3 studies).
• Key outcomes addressed included quality of life, anxiety/depression symptoms, and sleep quality.
• Interventions targeted adults, adolescents, and children, with varying durations and session frequencies.

Conclusions:

• During lockdown, occupational therapy interventions predominantly utilized telerehabilitation to enhance activity participation and manage emotional well-being.
• These findings support the implementation of occupational therapy in mental health settings, especially when physical access is constrained.