Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.24141/1/7/2/4
Daily life experience of left-handed persons
Leda Račić
; University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia
Andreja Bartolac
orcid.org/0000-0002-9472-5154
; University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The laterality or dominance of one side of the body is a consequence of the evolutionary development of human speech and complex skills. Left side body preference occurs in about 10% of the population. In addition to genetic predisposition, cultural factors may also affect the prevalence of left-handedness. The aim of this paper is to investigate the everyday experiences of lefthanded people while growing up and in adulthood, to identify activities that left-handed individuals have difficulty performing and how they assess their quality of life in relation to left handedness. A mixed research design was used. To collect data, 686 participants filled in an online questionnaire examining the experience of left-handed people in participating in everyday occupations, using various utensils, tools and methods of performing occupations, and their perceived quality of life. The results indicate considerable social pressure to which participants were exposed while growing up (especially the expectation of writing with the right hand), as well as challenges they face in everyday occupations. Notwithstanding these experiences, most participants rate the quality of life as high, which they explain by personal adaptation to the right handed world, but also emphasize the need for universal design of usable objects and environment in terms of equal accessibility regardless of lateralization.
Keywords
left-handedness; occupational history; ergonomics; quality of life
Hrčak ID:
256370
URI
Publication date:
23.4.2021.
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