The Relationship Between Care Burden, Psychological Status, and Quality of Life in Parents Who Have a Child Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Purpose: It is known that the care burden of parents who care child diagnosed with cerebral palsy (CP) is higher than that of the parents who care for a healthy child. The study aim was to examine the relationship between this caregiving burden (CB) and parents' psychological state (PS) and quality of life (QoL). Materials and Methods: The study is a prospective cross-sectional study completed with 101 parents of children with CP. The CB, PS, and QoL of parents were measured with Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Short Form-36, respectively. In addition, the QoL of CP was assessed with the Katz Activities of Daily Living Scale and functionality was meas-ured with the Pediatric Functional Independence Measure. Results: The majority of caregivers were mothers (90.09%). The daily living activities and functionality of the children were moderate levels. While the CB of the parents was moderate to severe, their PS was mildly depressed. There was a positive moderate (r=0.472, p<0.001) correlation between CB and PS, and a negative moderate correlation with physical function subdimension of QoL (r= -0.475, p<0.001). According to the multiple regression model, the daily living activity levels of the children and the PS of the parents explain 27.4% of the CB. Conclusion: CB of the parents who care for the child with CP affects their psychological health and their QoL. It would be more beneficial if care plans and services are inclusive not only for children with CP but also for parents who care for them.

Keywords

• care burden
• cerebral palsy
• depression