Relationship between physical, mental fitness and associated factors: a cross-sectional study on parents of children suffering from cerebral palsy.

Abstract

The workload of parents multiplies exponentially while nurturing and raising their child suffering from cerebral palsy (CP), adding to their physical and mental exhaustion. Literature review suggests very few studies have tried to assess the health condition of such parents including factors associated that might affect the outcome. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the health status of parents with respect to their physical and mental condition as well as associated factors that have a bearing on the same. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 157 parents (38 fathers and 119 mothers) of CP children from special schools identified in the Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka, India. Standard tests were used to evaluate physical and mental fitness. Analysis was done using standardized statistical tools, including the Karl Pearson correlation test to evaluate the correlation between physical and mental fitness with reference to other associated factors in such cases. It was observed that cardiac, muscular, and endurance were significantly weaker in mothers as compared to fathers. Among socio-economic factors, education level, economic security, income level, and duration of caregiving are significantly correlated with mental health irrespective of the parent. 35% of the mothers suffered from moderate depression, whereas 46% of the fathers suffered from volatile mood swings. Mothers of special-needs children have poor cardiac and musculoskeletal fitness and are likely to develop chronic diseases in the long term. Moreover, among all education levels, economic security and duration of caregiving are significant precursors, adversely affecting mental health among both parents. A family guidelines book based on the needs of such parents could be suggested to address the key issues of concern, including their physical and mental fitness, which might help in tackling several critical issues while raising such children.