Activity Participation and Satisfaction of Beneficiaries' Mothers following a Specialized Livelihood Training Program: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Refugee or beneficiary mothers often face multiple challenges in their new host communities, including limited access to education, job opportunities, and resources. A specialized livelihood program empowers them with relevant skills and knowledge to improve their economic prospects and overall well-being. Aim: To find out the frequency, meaning, and satisfaction of activity participation of beneficiaries' mothers. Address the gap in literature by investigating the outcomes of a specialized program on occupational engagement, shedding light on potential benefits, and challenges. Methods and Materials: Shishu Polli Plus (SPP) is a non-profit organization that works for destitute single mothers to promote their life goals. A cross-sectional quantitative design was carried out to undertake the study. Following purposive sampling, fifty-six beneficiaries were selected based on inclusion criteria, and a telephone survey was conducted with them. Standardized questionnaires like Meaningful Activity Participation Assessment (MAPA) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) were used to achieve the research objectives. SPSS 25 version was used to analyze data and formulate results. Results: The participants' mean age was 34.45 years, and the Standard Deviation (SD) was ±6.836. Most participants' age, n=28, was between 31 and 41 years (50%). Twenty one participants (age 20-30 years) represent 37.5% of all participants. Additionally, participants were aged 42-52 years (12.5%). Most mothers, n=13, were service holders (23.2%). In the case of education, the beneficiary's mothers were at the primary level. This means that the mother's frequency of activity participation was not good, as the MAPA Frequency cut-off score is 87. The personal meaningfulness of the mother's activities was 46.32 (±12.655), indicating that they had reduced personal meaningfulness of the activities where MAPA mean score s 58. Activity satisfaction among the mothers’ mean was 32.09, and the standard deviation was 3.584, representing higher activity satisfaction as the cut-off score was 32.09. The activity perception and engagement mean was 37.29 (SD±5.420), with more excellent perception and engagement. The overall life satisfaction was 21.52 (SD±7.196) among the beneficiaries’ mothers. The frequency of activity participation has a strongly positive correlation with the degree of personal meaningfulness (r=.648), where the value was 0.001, and the perception and engagement of the participants, where r=.458, p value=.001. Personal meaningfulness of the activities increases by .499 times, activity satisfaction by .027 times, and activity perception and engagement by .151 times when the frequency of activity participation rises by one point. Conclusions: Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of existing specialized livelihood programs for refugee mothers can help organizations fine-tune their approaches and tailor interventions to address this population's specific needs and challenges. Keywords: Beneficiaries’ mothers, Specialized training program, Activity participation, Activity satisfaction.