Representation of Parenting in Occupational Science and Therapy Literature: A Critical Interpretive Synthesis

Abstract

Parenting was little reflected in the occupational science and occupational therapy literature up to the turn of the 21st century. The late 1990’s and early 2000’s saw a growth in the literature with publishing by a number of influential researchers, along with direction for practice and future research. This critical interpretive synthesis examined the appearance of parenting in occupational science and occupational therapy literature for the period 2008-2018, discussing how mothering, fathering, and parenting occupations have come to be understood and represented. These occupations are seen to be both biology- and culture-bound, and influenced by social determinants as well as child and parent factors, and research and practice in parenting can be susceptible to assumptions and biases based on dominant discourses. Children and parents benefit from individualized family-centered approaches which recognize ecocultural pathways and lifespan development.