Occupational goals of mothers of children with disabilities: influence of temporal, social, and emotional contexts.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe the occupational concerns and goals of mothers who care for children with disabilities.

Method: Retrospective data collected from 38 mothers of children with disabilities using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) were analyzed qualitatively.

Results: Six themes emerged: (I) doing and being alone: taking care of my own health and well-being; (II) doing and being with others: expanding my social life; (III) improving my child's quality of life; (IV) household management: organizing time and resources; (V) balancing work, home, and community responsibilities; and (VI) sharing the workload.