The Effect of Occupational Therapy on Volitional and Vocational Skills in the Thai Juvenile Justice System

Even though many Occupational Therapy (OT) programs contribute to social well-being and life skills enhancement during a person’s lifespan, there are only a few OT programs especially created for the Juvenile Justice System. Collaborative programming was needed between OT staff and staff at the Ban...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Supalak Khemthong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Rajanagarindra Institute of Child Development 2017-07-01
Series:International Journal of Child Development and Mental Health
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/cdmh/article/view/94999
Description
Summary:Even though many Occupational Therapy (OT) programs contribute to social well-being and life skills enhancement during a person’s lifespan, there are only a few OT programs especially created for the Juvenile Justice System. Collaborative programming was needed between OT staff and staff at the Ban Mutita Juvenile Vocational Training Center for Boys. This study aimed to compare baseline and post-intervention of the volitional and vocational skills in the participants who had been selected for the OT program. Selective sampling was conducted in order to obtain participants with low volitional and vocational skills (n = 31 out of 105 boys). Two standard assessments were repeated to compare the baseline and post-intervention which included group dynamics of cooking, sport, and recreational activities for 4 weeks, four hours per session a week. A Paired-T test was finally analyzed. Volitional and vocational skills were significantly improved after the participants engaged in the OT supplement program, in combination with programs provided by vocational teachers. OT has demonstrated a positive effect on volitional and vocational skills in the Thai Juvenile Justice System. This pilot study has provided useful evidence about young offenders who need productive leisure engagement in order to gain self-achievement, leading to the supportive environments of education and employment in the future.
ISSN:2286-7481
2586-887X