EVALUATION OF FAMILY IMPACT OF CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY AND FAMILY CAREGIVER'S QUALITY OF LIFE, SLEEP QUALITY AND INDIVIDUAL PHYSICAL EDUCATION SATISFACTION: A MIXED STUDY

Purpose: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a disease that has significant effects on both the child and the family. The objective of this study is to examine the influence of the family, quality of life, sleep quality and individual physical education (IPE) of family caregivers of children with CP. In addition, it is planned to detail the factors affecting their satisfaction through semi-structured individual interviews. Methods: Family caregivers of 55 children diagnosed with CP between the ages of 1 and 15 were included in the study. Demographic information with “Demographic Information Survey”, the functional status of the child's with “Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS)” the impact of the child on the family with “Impact on Family Scale (IoFS)”, caregiver's quality of life with “World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale - Short Form (WHOQOL-BREF) ”, caregiver's sleep quality was evaluated with “ Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)” and the satisfaction with IPE was questioned with the “Pediatric Quality of Life Healthcare Parental Satisfaction Scale (PedsQL)”. Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured individual interviews. Results: In our study, GMFCS level was negatively correlated with WHOQOL-BREF (p=0.028) and positively correlated with PSQI (p=0.002). In addition, the IoFS scale correlated negatively (p=0.000) with WHOQoL-BREF and positively (p=0.016) with PSQI. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that the physical dependence of the child has a negative impact on the quality of life and sleep quality of caregivers, and that the number of siblings affects parents' satisfaction with the treatment. It is recommended that further information be obtained regarding parents' perceptions of the disease and their individual physical education needs, as a result of semi-structured individual interviews.