Does having a healthy child effect on general health status of parents of children with cerebral palsy?

Caregiving a child with cerebral palsy can have effects on the general health status of parents. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of having a healthy child on the general health status of parents with cerebral palsy children.
A total of 28 parents with healthy/cerebral palsy children (age range 36.67±7.09) and 30 parents with cerebral palsy children (age range: 33.11±6.7) filled general health questionnaire (GHQ-28) including 28 items regarding somatic symptoms, anxiety/insomnia, social dysfunction, and severe depression.
General health score of parents with healthy/cerebral palsy children was significantly higher than that of parents with cerebral palsy children (P≤0.05). There was no significant difference between mothers in the case of somatic symptoms and fathers in the case of anxiety/insomnia between the two groups (P>0.05).
Having a healthy child can be advised to parents of children with cerebral palsy as a factor in promoting physical, mental, and social performance. These parents are advised to seek medical and genetic counseling and examinations to obtain a specialist approval prior to the birth of another child.