BURDEN OF CARE IN MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY AND AFFECTED FACTORS

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the burden care in mothers of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and effective factors. The study was consisted of the mothers of children diagnosed with spastic type Cerebral Palsy, who are under follow-up and treatment in the public Physical Therapy Hospital in Istanbul, aged 0-18 years. The data were collected by using the Mother- Child Information Form, and Zarid Caregiver Burden Scale between December 2019 and May 2020. The questionnaire forms were given to the volunteer mothers and they were asked to be answered after detailed information about the study was given. Data analysis was made using SPSS 22.00 statistics package program. In this study, the mean score of Caregiver Burden Scale was determined as 44.39 ± 11.60 (range 17-73) in mothers. It was found that the average score obtained by the mothers who wanted someone else to take care of their children compared to those who did not, and the average score obtained by the mothers who had an individual duration of 1 hour or less during the day compared to those who had 2 hours or more. It was determined that the average score obtained by mothers who perceived their individual time insufficiently in the day compared to those who perceived sufficient, and the average score obtained by mothers who described their general mental state as tired and sad compared to those who described them as happy. As a result, it is suggested that the mother presence of individuals who support the burden of caregiving increases the time she devotes to herself, and to support socially in every field and plan studies to remove the psychological effects of caregiving burden.