Assessment of Quality of Life in Parents of Childrenwith Cerebral Palsy

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the quality of life and psychologic status in parents of children with cerebral palsy (CP). METHOD: We studied 94 parents of children with cerebral palsy (case) and 60 parents of normal children (control). The functional level of CP was determined based on the gross motor functional classification system (GMFCS), and type of CP was classified by clinical features. We collected the data through questionnaires obtained from the parents, which consisted of Short Form Health Survey-36 (SF-36), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Family APGAR score. The data were statistically analyzed. RESULTS: The mean scores of SF-36 in parents of CP children was significantly lower than controls (60.09<67.38, p< 0.001). BDI (p<0.001) and BAI (p=0.002) scores of parents of CP children were significantly higher than control group, and familial APGAR score was lowered in the CP group compared to the control group. There were no differences in the scores of SF-36 in parents according to the severity of CP (p=0.844). CONCLUSION: The quality of life of parents of children with CP was significantly lower than that of control parents. Also psychologic status and familial function were poorer in parents of CP. It is necessary to evaluate and support for parent's psychologic status and quality of life in the comprehensive rehabilitation of CP.