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Concept of Perceived Task Difficulty: A Systematic Review

Mudasir Andrabi, Adam Robinson, Francisco Marques

Aim:We conducted a systematic review of the literature related to the perception of the difficulty of treatments and its influence on treatment adherence in various populations.

Method:The literature published between 1970 and 2019 was searched using the databases Scopus, Pubmed,Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL was conducted. This review has followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review (PRISMA) guidelines. The quality of the evidence was assessed by Using Joanna Briggs Institute’s critical appraisal tool. Studies that assessed the perception of task difficulty and were published in English were involved. Two reviewers reviewed the literature and any disagreements among these reviewers were resolved by a third reviewer.

Results:Twenty-nine articles were selected for this review. Selected articles described research that utilized a host of different populations such as HIV patients, diabetics, hemophilia patients, and some mental disorders. The participants involved in these studies were stroke patients, undergraduate students, children as young as six years of age, youths receiving mental health services, veterans, various professionals (e.g. occupational therapists), and elderly community members.

Conclusions:Individuals are best engaged in tasks with moderate difficulty levels. Perceived task difficulty is influenced by the individuals’ information about the task, their emotions, and perceived self-ability. Therefore, these factors must be considered in health teachings so that it would influence the individuals’ perceptions related to the difficulty of their treatments and help them to better engage/adhere with their treatment plans.