Wellness in children’s rehabilitation – what does it mean?

Abstract

Purpose

Rehabilitation research on wellness promotion for children and youth with disabilities is limited and tends to narrowly focus on physical aspects of health. An overarching sense of wellness includes multiple, overlapping dimensions (e.g., physical, social, emotional, occupational). This study’s main objectives were to explore what wellness means for young people with disabilities, and what contributes to their sense of wellness.

Methods

A qualitative design involving World Café-style focus groups was used to explore the perspectives of youth with disabilities (14-25 years old, n = 3), parents (n = 6) and healthcare providers (n = 10) on how wellness is understood and addressed at a Canadian children’s rehabilitation hospital. Themes were identified through an inductive analysis of focus group transcripts and notes written by participants and research team members.

Results

Having a variety of relationships and social connections, meaningful activity opportunities, becoming as independent as possible, and having stable medical health contributed to wellness for young people with disabilities.

Conclusions

Rehabilitation care can promote wellness by co-creating personalized care pathways across multiple wellness dimensions with young people with disabilities and their families, focusing on strengths rather than deficits, and improving access to a variety of activities and communities.

IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION

• Rehabilitation professionals in children’s rehabilitation have unique, ongoing opportunities to promote and support wellness with young people with disabilities and their families.

• Rehabilitation professionals can embed personalized, strengths-focused wellness pathways across multiple dimensions into the care of children with disabilities.

• Helping children and families address barriers to meaningful activities and promoting social connections can foster an overarching sense of wellness.

Keywords:

• Children
• youth
• disability
• rehabilitation
• wellness

Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank the study participants for sharing their experiences, and the project advisory team for providing advice on study planning and interpreting results. This study was supported by generous donors to the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Foundation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation.