Current Research
Systematic Review
The OT4Parenting research team has completed a systematic mapping review examining how parents access professional support for parenting concerns. This review provides an overview of existing evidence across a wide range of parental experiences and can be accessed here:
Rider, J., Honey, A., Pituch, E., O’Mara, V., & McGrath, M. (2025). Accessing support for parenting among parents living with disabilities: A mapping review of qualitative research. Health and Social Care in the Community, 2025, 8821639. https://doi.org/10.1155/hsc/8821639
Building on this foundation, the team has published the first qualitative meta-synthesis, focusing on parents living with chronic conditions.
McGrath, M., Honey, A., O’Mara, V., Pituch, E., & Rider, J. V. (2025). How do parents who live with chronic disease experience accessing formal parenting supports? A systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative research. Disability and Rehabilitation, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2025.2574530
This paper analysed data from 18 original qualitative studies involving the experiences of 267 parents living with chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, cancer, cystic fibrosis and HIV. Three central themes emerged: (i) Absence of support – parents often described feeling invisible within healthcare systems (ii) What supports are needed – parents wanted practical, education and emotional support and (iii) Designing supports that work – parents called for supports that are flexible, tailored and grounded in need.
Moving forward the OT4Parenting team calls for:
Greater recognition of parenting as a meaningful occupation affected by chronic illness
Integrated and responsive support systems that meet parents where they are
Inclusion of peer led and professional supports that empower parents rather than pathologise them
Continued research and advocacy to ensure parenting support is seen as a core part of chronic disease management
Parenting with a chronic condition should not mean parenting without support. This research is a critical step toward systems that value, sustain, and empower parents in every context.
Further meta-syntheses are currently underway, exploring the experiences of parents with other disabilities and challenge in accessing parenting support.
Global survey of occupational therapists
Our international research team conducted a global survey exploring how occupational therapists support adults in their parenting roles.
We’re thrilled to share two new papers which draw on responses from 1,357 OTs in 42 countries.
McGrath, M., Honey, A.*, Almomani, F., Chen, Y., Codd, Y., Junghun A., Kunishige, M., Morrison, R., O’Mara, V., Peterson, J., Pituch, E., Romli, M., Rozen, D., Sabbah, R., Sarsak, H., Saunders, E., Sim, S., Tan, H.L., Wong, W.T., Wan Yunus, F., & Rider, J. (early online). Parenting and Occupational Therapy: An exploration of global practice. Occupational Therapy Journal of Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/15394492251382465
This paper highlights that parenting is often under-addressed in OT practice — less than half regularly ask clients about their parenting roles, and only a third frequently intervene around parenting concerns. The research also found that assessment practices tend to rely on informal conversations or general OT measures rather than parenting-specific tools, and that interventions are most often limited to education and training rather than tailored, occupation-centred parenting support. Those occupational therapists who had prior training in parenting and OT were more likely to integrate parenting into their regular assessment and intervention practices.
We hope these findings encourage more services, educators, and clinicians to foreground parenting as a core part of adult OT practice.
Honey, A., Almomani, F., Chen, Y., Codd, Y., Junghun A., Kunishige, M., Morrison, R., O’Mara, V., Peterson, J., Pituch, E., Rider , J., Romli, M., Rozen, D., Sabbah, R., Sarsak, H., Saunders, E., Sim, S., Tan, H.L., Wong, W.T., Wan Yunus, F., & McGrath, M., (2025). Supporting parents with disability and other challenges through occupational therapy: What is needed? Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 72(3), e70026. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.70026
This paper examines what is needed to increase occupational therapy support for parents with disabilities and other challenges based on data from the global survey.
It found that supportive institutional structures, training, resources and occupation based assessments are needed. However increased recognition of occupational therapists’ suitability to support parents is also needed both within and outside the profession.
POP Framework
After preliminary testing in Ireland, planning is underway for a global study that will use Experience Sampling Method to explore the range tasks and activities that parents do as part of parenting. We will use this information to assess the validity of the POP framework, identify any additional parenting occupations, and explore the impact of culture on parenting practices.