Predictive Factors of Life Balance in Mothers of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Having a child with cerebral palsy (CP) is a stressful experience for the family specially mothers. Caring of this children take a lots of time and energy from family. The balance of life may be decreased by the influence of factors related to the child or mother. Therefore, the present study intended to investigate the predictive factors affecting the life balance of mothers with CP.

This study was a cross sectional descriptive-analytical research that conducted in Ahvaz in 2021. A total of 135 mothers (mean age= 33.37(7.93)) with at least one children under the age of ten CP participated in this research. Data were collected using life balance index, general health questionnaire, time management quality, and demographic information checklists. GMFCS E&R and MACS were used to determine the level of gross motor and manual ability function. To investigate the effect of predictor variables on the quantity of life balance, generalized univariate linear models were used.

Life Balance of mothers of children with CP was very unbalanced (45.2%) or unbalanced (35.6%). Based on regression coefficient of each variable, it was determined that MACS (B = 0.192), comorbidity in the children with CP (B= 0.187), gross motor function (B= 0.137), general health (B= 0.024) and maternal age (beta = 0.01), respectively, contributed the most in the prediction of life balance variances.

Life balance is a serious affected domain in mothers caring CP children. Child-related factors had a more effective role in predicting the life balance of mothers of CP children than mother-related factors.