| Aim: Parenting a child with cerebral palsy (CP) presents multiple challenges.
In this study we aim to compare the quality of life in parents of children
with CP and parents of healthy children and its correlations with possible
risk factors. Material and Method: Sixty-four parents of children with CP and
64 parents of healthy children matched for age and gender were recruited.
Families were visited by researchers to administer the World Health Organization
Quality of Life – short version (WHOQOL-BREF) and Duke University
Religion Index (DUREL) questionnaires to parents. Also the motor function of
the children with CP was evaluated according to the Gross Motor Function
Classification System (GMFCS). Results: Compared to parents of healthy children,
parents of children with CP had significantly stronger religious beliefs
and a lower score in overall quality of life and all its domains, except for
the social subscale. There was a significant negative correlation between
parents’ age and psychological domain, social domain, and overall quality of
life. There was also a significant negative correlation between GMFCS level
and the social and environmental health domains of quality of life. Families
with higher income had a significantly higher score in social, environmental
health, and overall quality of life, and environmental health was significantly
higher in parents with higher education. Discussion: Parents of children with
CP have lower quality of life than parents of healthy children; their quality
of life was negatively correlated with their children’s disability, their education
level, and family income. Although these parents had stronger religious
beliefs, this was not correlated with the domains of quality of life. |