Factors influencing the quality of life of the mothers of children with cerebral palsy / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To analyze the quality of life (QOL) of mothers of children with cerebral palsy and it's influencing factors.Methods The QOL of 123 children with cerebral palsy and their mothers was assessed a 36-item short form health survey (SF-36) and basic questionnaires combined with interviews.The factors influencing QOL were analyzed with t-tests and one way analysis of variance,and multiple regression analysis was used to determine the main influencing factors.Results Scores on all of the SF-36 items were much lower for mothers of children with cerebral palsy than for mothers of normal children.Average scores in the domains of emotional health,general health and vitality were the lowest (55.28,60.49 and 65.26 respectively).Correlation analysis showed that general health,physical function and role emotions were positively correlated with the child's age.All domains except pain were negatively correlated with the child's condition.Social functioning was positively correlated with the mother's age.The general health,role emotional,social function,and mental health scores were all negatively correlated with the mother's education level.Univariate analysis showed that the child's age and condition,the mother's education level and occupation,and the father's occupation all significantly predicted the mother's QOL.Multivariate regression analysis confirmed that the child's age and the father's occupation had significant predictive power.Conclusions The QOL of the mother of a child with cerebral palsy is mainly influenced by the child's age and condition,the mother's education level and occupation,and the father's occupation.Comprehensive and effective measures should be taken to improve the QOL of mothers of children with cerebral palsy and to improve the efficacy of rehabilitation for children with cerebral palsy.