Relationship among Gross Motor Function, Parenting Stress, Sense of Control, and Depression in Mothers of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among the gross motor function of children with cerebral palsy and parenting stress, sense of control, and depression in their mothers. Data were collected from 247 children with cerebral palsy and their mothers. To verify the relationship among variables, path analysis was performed. The control variables included the sex and age of the children. The proposed model showed good fit indices. Gross motor function had an indirect effect on parenting stress and depression and a direct effect on parenting stress and self-control (as parenting sense of control). Parenting stress had an indirect effect on depression and a direct effect on self-control and depression. This result suggests the importance of improving the gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy and self-control in the mothers, as well as decreasing parenting stress to reduce the level of the mothers’ depression. Considering the mediating effect of self-control on depression, programs designed to enhance self-control could be effective in decreasing depression in mothers of children with cerebral palsy.

Stress level in parents of children with cerebral palsy.

“…19 The observed correlation between higher GMFCS grade and increased parental stress (p=0.013) is consistent with previous research highlighting the impact of the severity of a child's disability on parental well-being. 20,21 Parents of children with more severe motor impairments may face heightened stress due to increased caregiving demands and potential limitations in the child's functional abilities. The positive correlation between GMFCS grade and PSS scores (r=0.232, p=0.004) underscores the importance of considering the functional limitations imposed by CP when assessing parental stress.…”

Relationship Between Quality of Life and Level of Physical Activity and Family Well-Being

“…There is a substantial body of research evidence regarding the relationship between the quality of life and family well-being of parents of children with disabilities (Bjornson et al, 2008;Park, 2021;Pratesi et al, 2021;Silva et al, 2020;Xu et al, 2018). Nevertheless, there is a lack of data on the improvement of quality of life of families due to organizing active leisure time.…”

Parental Stress and Bringing up a Child with Cerebral Palsy: A Foreign Studies Review

“…Он кормит ребенка, моет, одевает и помогает передвигаться по дому и улице. Родителю приходится полностью адаптировать свое расписание под нужды ребенка, жертвуя личным временем [66].…”

“…Это также влияет на качество сна родителя. У последних могут встречаться проблемы с засыпанием, ночные кошмары, поверхностный сон, что повышает их уровень стресса из-за невозможности восстановиться в ночное время [66].…”

“…Так, в одном из крупнейших исследований, посвященном сравнению уровня разводов в США в 5 089 семьях с детьми с ограниченными возможностями здоровья и более чем в 24 000 семьях с детьми без инвалидности, распространенность разводов у семей из первой группы была выше (14,3%), чем у вторых (11,4%). Уязвимость к разводу можно объяснить высоким уровнем требований к супругу и стрессом от наличия ребенка-инвалида [66]. Матери испытывают чувство вины не только перед мужем, но и перед другими детьми.…”