The everyday occupations of East Asian mothers who have children with disabilities: A scoping review

Background: Everyday occupations refer to activities that people do associated with their roles, to bring meaning and purpose to life. The occupations of non-Asian mothers of children with disabilities have been well-documented but less is known about the occupations of East Asian mothers. Aims: This scoping review described the everyday occupations of East Asian mothers who have children with disabilities. Methods: A well-documented five-stage framework was utilised, guided by PRISMAScR. A search was conducted across five data bases for peer-reviewed research between 2008–2020, which informed the occupations of mothers living in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. Results: Thirty-two articles met criteria, of which twenty-nine were qualitative studies and three were mixed-methods studies. 415 mothers were represented. The themes were: doing, roles, volitional components and processes, cultural values and practices, environmental enablers, barriers and transformation, which provided rich description of various aspects of occupations of East Asian mothers, who have children with disabilities. Conclusions: The everyday occupations of East Asian mothers who have children with disabilities were shaped by their cultural values. This review provided insights into mothers’ activity choices and valued roles, which highlighted for practitioners in disability services, the importance of cultural awareness and sensitivity when supporting East Asian mothers and their families.