Self-Esteem of Adults with Cerebral Palsy

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the self-esteem and to understand the psychosocial needs of people with cerebral palsy(CP). METHOD: Thirty-seven adult CP with age from 19 to 30 years and 24 controls with age from 19 to 33 years were evaluated for their self-esteems. The self-esteem was estimated by the standardized Korean-version of manual which was originally developed by Fitts(1965). RESULTS: The CP group scored significantly lower than the control group on 5 items of the physical self-esteem, personal self-esteem, self identity, self satisfaction, and self behavior among the 14 self-esteem items. Males scored higher than females on the personal self-esteem and self behavior. Personal self-esteem score was higher with the increasing age. The type of CP and the independent gait had no influence on the positive self. CONCLUSION: The differences on self-esteem between CP and control group suggest the needs of psychosocial support for the adults with cerebral palsy.