Abstract
Exploring the relationship between daily activity performance, assessed via a virtual shopping task, and participation in different life domains may assist in optimizing intervention in terms of enhanced participation and quality of life.
Primary Author and Speaker: Nehal Safi
Contributing Authors: Elias JahJah, Eyal Fruchter, Yael Caspi, Udi Oren, Naomi Josman, Evelyne Klinger, Batya Engel-Yeger
People with PTSD may have significant challenges in performing various daily activities that reduce their meaningful participation and quality of life (QOL). Executive dysfunctions contribute to limited participation and QOL in PTSD. Yet, knowledge about this interaction in people with PTSD and the intervention’s results are limited. This study aims to elaborate the knowledge about the relationship between daily activity performance, as measured by an ecological valid evaluation – a virtual shopping task, that imitates one of the most frequent daily activities, and participation in various life domains. For that, this study compared activity performance and participation between people with PTSD and healthy controls. It also examined the interactions among participants with PTSD. This comparison and correlative study included 66 participants (26 with PTSD, 40 controls) aged 18-65. Exclusion criteria: non-PTSD physical/psychiatric diagnosis; ADHD symptoms in the control group. All participants completed the Activity Card Sort (ACS) (Baum & Edwards, 2001) – a self-reported tool to assess participation in instrumental and leisure activities; the Virtual Action Planning Supermarket (VAP-S 2) (Klinger et al., 2006) – is a performance-based assessment of a shopping task that provides information on how executive functions impact efficiency and mission completion. Differences were examined by the MANCOVA and the Mann-Whitney tests. The correlations were examined by Spearman’s correlation tests. Bonferroni correction adjusted the significance level (p<0.05). The PTSD group had lower participation levels and lower activity performance, as found in lower efficiency and lower ability to complete the task. Among the PTSD group, difficulties in completing the task correlated with restricted social and total participation. The study results strengthen the virtual supermarket’s validity in PTSD, assisting in tailoring an optimal intervention to enhance daily function and QOL.
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