Objectives: To develop normative data for normal young adults, to interpret patients’ CMDT score objectively and select the employees who require manual dexterity. Methods: Participants were sixty normal subjects (thirty males and thirty females) between ages of 19 and 26. Averaged performance duration of normal subjects on the CMDT was recorded and Pearson Correlation Coefficients between subtests of CMDT were analysed. Results: Women’s performance duration was shorter than that of men’s, but the percentile scores were different according to the percentile. Pearson Correlation Coefficients were significantly different between the subtests, but not in the results of comparing ‘displacing’ and ‘one hand turning and placing’. Conclusions: These data will assist occupational therapists and others to interpret patients’ CMDT scores objectively.

Objective: This study was performed to measure the level of stress of cerebral palsy workers, and to investigate the relationship between the stress dimensions and stress inducing factors of cerebral palsy workers in Korean manufacturing industry. Method: The sample used in this study consists of 66 employees with cerebral palsy wokers. They are employees of the protective employment companies located in Seoul, Inchon, and Gyung-gi province. The Psycho-Social Well-being Index (PWI), which was designed through modification of Goldberg’s 60-items of General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), was used to measure the stress level. The following variables, independent and moderate variables, are designed for the same purpose. The independent variables are general and disability characteristics, workplace-related characteristics of the respondents. The moderate variables include social support, type A behavior pattern, self-esteem and coping strategy. The collected data were analyzed using SAS version 6.12 program. Results: The results of this study were summarized as follows; 1.　For the moderate variables, the low self esteem, and A type behavior were more significant to measure the stress level. 2.　The multiple regression analysis showed that the significant variables on the level of stress of cerebral palsy workers were low self-esteem and A type behavior pattern. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that appropriate health promotion programs, should be established and provided for reducing the stress of cerebral palsy workers in manufacturing industry.

Objective: To test appropriateness of writing subtest translated into Korean. Method: Fourty-five students participated in this study. The time spent on each sentence was measured for both hand. We performed Repeated Measure as a statistical analysis. Results: When the averaged time spent on each sentence was compared, the second and the fourth sentences were longer than the first and the third sentences. There were significant differences in the time spent to write each sentences with nondominant hand, but not with dominant hand. For the nondominant hand, the result of contrast test had significant differences in the first, second, third sentences, but not in the fourth sentence. Conclusions: There was significant difference in the time spent in writing the four sentences. Because equivalent time duration represents the validity of Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test, a modification of the test is recommended.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to measure the level of stress of cerebral palsy wokers, and to investigate the relationship between the stress and stress inducing factors of cerebral palsy wokers in Korean manufacturing industry. Method: The sample used in this study consists of 66 employees with cerebral palsy. They are employees of the protective employment companies located in Seoul, Inchon and Gyung-gi province. The psycho-social well-being index (PWI), which was designed through modification of Goldberg’s 60-items of General health Questionaire (GHS), was used to measure the stress level. The independent variables are general and disability characteristics, workplace-related characteristics. The collected data were analyzed using SAS version 6.12 program. Results: The results of this study were summarized as follows : The average score for the level of stress response was 55.19 (±19.17). The high risk group was 32% of the woker with cerebral palsy, the latent stress group was 62%, and healthy group was 6%. The overall stress level was very high. The level of stress was significantly higher in respondents who has poor self-perceived health status, who can not satisfied with their job and workplace. Conclusions: In conclusion, the result of this study suggest that appropriate prevocational programs, should be estabilish and provided for reducing the stress of cerebral palsy wokers.

The purpose of this article was to explore the potential for the use of mental practice for the rehabilitation in persons with stroke. Clinical application of mental practice in physical medicine and rehabilitation have not flourished to the same extent as application of mental practice to sports psychology. Studies from the disciplines of kinesiology, neurophysioloy and psychology support the use of mental practice in the post-stroke population. A model is included to demonstrate how mental practice can work through motivation, cognition and neural reorganization to facilitate motor relearning and functional independence. Recent evidence using modern brain-imaging techniques suggest that motor planning during both imagined and actual movements use very similar brain centers. Influencing factors such as imaging ability, task, and method of instructions are discussed. The advantage and disadvantage of using mental practice are included. The potentials of mental practice as a method of promoting and acquiring the exercise functions of stroke patients are being recognized, and is expected to have high effectiveness as a method of improving the functions of the patients in the field of occupational therapy.

Manual dexterity is often evaluated in rehabilitation because of its contribution to upper limb performance and to individual functional independence. Dexterity depends on age, sex, anthropometric measurements of the hand and sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to compare the finger dexterity with and without wearing different types of gloves (latex gloves and cotton gloves), and to investigate the correlation among the different measurement tools (VALPAR component work samples, O‘conner finger dexterity, and Minnesota grooved pegboard) for finger dexterity. Fifteen healthy young subjects (male: 6, female: 9) had a mean age of 26 years were evaluated. The results were as follows: There was no significant difference in finger dexterity between male and female group at all conditions except for wearing cotton glove condition. The finger dexterity was significant difference in Minnesota grooved pegboard test among conditions(bare hand, latex gloves and cotton gloves). However, finger dexterities were no significant differenece in other tests at different conditions. There was high correlation between measurement tool except for the Size discrimination item in VALPAR test. The results of this study suggest that Minnesota grooved pegboard test maybe a sensitive tool to measure the finger dexterity at sensory constrained conditions.

Twenty normal female subjects participated in a study designed to motion on the time required to complete manual tasks from the Jebsen Hand Function Test. The Jebsen Hand Function Test consists of seven subtests: writing; turning cards; picking up small objects; simulating feeding; stacking checkers; picking up large and light objects; picking up large and heavy objects. At this study, writing was excluded. Activities were performed with the wrist free and with the wrist immobilized by the volar splints that were flexed 40" and 80" . Data were analyzed using the MANOVA(Mu1tiple analysis of variance) and the Wilcoxon signed ranks test. The results showed that the time for performing the subtasks(turning cards, picking up small objects, stacking checkers) statistically significantly decreased during a wrist 40" flexion rather than a wrist free. Especially when a wrist was flexed 80" , the performing time of all subtasks statistically significantly decreased rather than a wrist free. Only one subtask(simu1ating feeding), 20-29 years old female statistically significantly decreased in performing time rather than 30-39 years old female with a wrist free. This study presents that a hand function is affected by a variable wrist position.