Parental Distress: A Result of Functional and Behavioral Difficulties in Children with Cerebral palsy

Abstract

Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) may have risk factors of Functional and Behavioral difficulties. Aims: To Determine the parental distress as a result of functional and behavioral difficulties of children with C.P. Methodology: The population was based in Pakistan, cross-sectional survey was conducted in which caregivers of 40 children with CP aged 3-8 Years were involved by online “ Survey System” software and completed the Agitated Behavior Scale(ABS), The Gillette Functional Assessment Questionnaire and Parental Stress Scale to determine the child’s behavior, functional difficulties, and parental distress. Correlation paired 2-tail and Linear regression was used to analyze the data. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 20.Results: The demographic data (Age and Gender),non-significant regression equation f=2 (37), P > 0.01 with an Power calculation r2 = 0.45. Functional difficulties (F.A and L. A), not-significant regression equation was found df=4(35) , P > 0.01 with an Power calculation r2 = 0.07 while, not-significant regression equation was found df=5(34) , P > 0.01 with an Power calculation r2 = 0.03 and findings indicate that parental distress has no statistically significant relationship (|r| n=40, p> 0.05) to Functional Abilities , Locomotors Abilities and Behavior Difficulties. Conclusion and Implications: Evidence shows that psychological, behavioral, emotional, and communication problems are frequent in children with CP. It’s not compulsory to have highly rated parental stress in case of children having any disability and child’s effect agitated behaviors. Effective rehabilitation programs should provide not only sufficient opportunities for the children’s disabilities but also psychological support for the mothers. Key Words: Cerebral Palsy, Children, Stress, Behavior, Parental Distress, Functional Difficulties, Locomotor Abilities