Family function of children with Cerebral Palsy and it's relation to the severity and type of cerebral palsy

Treatment and rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy (CP) by a professional team take long time and impose expensive costs and human resources on the family and society. So the family undertakes a lot of difficulties and family function declines. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of family function in CP children and its relation to the type of CP and severity of disability.

During this (descriptive- analytic) study, 43 mothers who had 0-8 year-old children with CP under rehabilitation services in SABA clinic, related to the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (USWR), in Tehran, Iran, were selected as the case group. Informed consent was acquired from the mothers. Following, a data set of demographic information and Family Assessment Device were completed by them. The scores indicated the level of family function. The type of CP and the severity of disability were determined by a pediatrician and an occupational therapist respectively using GMFM, and their relation to family function were assessed. Seventy-seven mothers of normal children, serving as the control group, filled in the same questionnaires. The data was analyzed using SPSS statistical software.

There were not significant differences in mean of family function scores between the two groups except in roles domain (P=0.132). There were no significant differences in family function scores among the five types of CP (P=0.758). It was found that there were no statistically significant differences in family function and the severity of disability rate using Pearson correlation (R= 0.099).

It seems the much time after diagnosis the more adaptation of parents in different domains of family function. In general, according to the results of this study, improvement of family function of children with CP is highly recommended, so we can improve the rehabilitation process and achieve better outcome in these children.