Martina C. McNulty, PhD, OTR/L

My graduate work addressed basic clinical constructs such as home safety and independence with people in an inpatient psychiatric setting and older adults. I have extensively used the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills Assessment, an observational assessment of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and leisure activities, that through the use of Rasch measurement, can create equal interval measures of people’s motor and process IADL ability. I have also completed several studies using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure to understand people’s subjective understanding of their performance of everyday activities. I have tied IADL ability and perceptions of ability to engage in desired daily activities with time use and quality of life for persons with chronic conditions such as people with Parkinson’s disease.

Research Statement

My research focus is on investigating the self-management skills of persons with chronic diseases, such individuals with Parkinson’s disease. I am particularly interested in building knowledge regarding how people with chronic conditions modify their activity schedules or time use as well social and physical environments to maximize their participation in everyday life, and what factors support or detract from this process, e.g., strong social support, self-efficacy, and executive function skills.

Selected Publications