Date Presented 04/22/21 In today's technology-based world, prolonged device use is common among college students. This quantitative study explores the effect of 2 weeks of mindfulness meditation on body awareness in college students. On the basis of preliminary data analysis, there is an increase in self-report of mindfulness and body awareness in the target population. These current findings support further exploration of mindfulness meditation to maximize health, well-being, and quality of life for all people. Primary Author and Speaker: Kimberly Szucs Additional Authors and Speakers: Patricia Coker-Bolt Contributing Authors: Dorothea Jenkins

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. The exploratory mixed-methods study of 490 OT graduate students revealed that high levels of reported stress along with limited coping strategies impacted students’ perceived occupational engagement and quality of life. Students identified mindfulness as an effective coping mechanism; however, its reported use did not appear to alter quality of life. The study supported a link between mindfulness and occupational engagement and has broad implications for the field of OT. Primary Author and Speaker: Patricia A. Henton Additional Authors and Speakers: Acacia Gambrel, Jerome Klah, Catherine Rink, Caroline Targonski, and Sarah Wirtz

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Executive functions, including attention and regulation, are relevant to successful participation in complex occupations. A scoping review was conducted to summarize and evaluate current evidence for the impact of mindfulness on the attention and regulation skills of preadolescents and adolescents. Findings suggest early promise of mindfulness interventions in improving these skills in the target population. However, firm conclusions cannot be drawn due to low trustworthiness of the evidence. Primary Author and Speaker: Rebecca Mariel Rutta Additional Authors and Speakers: Shamta Kumar, Varada Pisharody, and Kaitlyn Cecilia Irwin Contributing Authors: Nancy Baker, Elizabeth Marfeo, and Margaret Morris

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Sustaining attention in today’s elementary classrooms is increasingly challenging for elementary-age students. Long sedentary instruction, a demanding curriculum, and reduction in recess time can negatively impact children’s attention. OT practitioners can combat these issues by providing brief and effective student-centered classroom breaks focusing on physical exercise and mindfulness. Primary Author and Speaker: Jessica Swanson

OBJECTIVE. We explored the potential impact of mindfulness-based yoga (MBY) for youth with persistent concussion by examining occupation-based and neurophysiological outcomes. METHOD. In this case series design study, 6 youths ages 13–17 yr with concussion symptoms for >4 wk participated in an 8-wk MBY intervention, 1×/wk for 45 min. Participation, self-efficacy, and heart rate variability (24 hr) were collected before, after, and 3 mo after the intervention. Heart rate variability was also measured during each session. RESULTS. Trends of increased self-efficacy in academic, social, and emotional domains were found after MBY and maintained at 3-mo follow-up. Trends of increasing heart rate variability were also found pre- to postintervention and within the eight MBY sessions. CONCLUSION. Preliminary results reveal positive trends after a novel, safe intervention for youth with persistent concussion symptoms and the value of exploring both occupation-based and neurophysiological measures. Future research with a larger sample and control group is warranted.

Evidence Connection articles provide a clinical application of systematic reviews developed in conjunction with the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA’s) Evidence-Based Practice Project. In this Evidence Connection article, we describe a case report of a person recently diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The occupational therapy assessment and intervention process in the home setting is described. Findings from the systematic review ( Poole & Siegel, 2017 ) on this topic were published in the January/February 2017 issue of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy and in AOTA’s Occupational Therapy Practice Guidelines for Adults With Arthritis and Other Rheumatic Conditions ( Poole et al., 2017 ). Each article in this series summarizes the evidence from the published reviews on a given topic and presents an application of the evidence to a related clinical case. Evidence Connection articles illustrate how the research evidence from the reviews can be used to inform and guide clinical reasoning.

A scoping review was conducted to describe how mindfulness is used in physical rehabilitation, identify implications for occupational therapy practice, and guide future research on clinical mindfulness interventions. A systematic search of four literature databases produced 1,524 original abstracts, of which 16 articles were included. Although only 3 Level I or II studies were identified, the literature included suggests that mindfulness interventions are helpful for patients with musculoskeletal and chronic pain disorders and demonstrate trends toward outcome improvements for patients with neurocognitive and neuromotor disorders. Only 2 studies included an occupational therapist as the primary mindfulness provider, but all mindfulness interventions in the selected studies fit within the occupational therapy scope of practice according to the American Occupational Therapy Association’s Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process. Higher-level research is needed to evaluate the effects of mindfulness interventions in physical rehabilitation and to determine best practices for the use of mindfulness by occupational therapy practitioners.