Psychosocial Problems and Well-Being of Children with Cerebral Palsy in Idoma Cosmology

The birth of a baby with congenital malformations, such as cerebral palsy, is probably one of the events in life which results in some of the strongest human emotions. Feelings of compassion, disgust, fear, guilt and curiosity are often expressed when this happens. Care of a child with cerebral palsy is a source of tension and struggle for parents and causes many problems in meeting the child’s needs. This study explored the psychosocial problems faced by children with cerebral palsy (CP) and their parents among the Idoma people. Design. Qualitative research design using interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) was used for the study. Setting. Two FGDs comprising traditional birth attendants and others at an urban and rural area were conducted. Participants. A total of thirty individuals participated in the two FGDs. The data were gathered by an in-depth semi-structured interview and focused group disussion. Main Outcome Measured. Psychosocial problems experienced by the children suffering from CP and their parents were measured. Results. The interviews were transcribed and analysed inductively. The identified problems were associated with common themes. The content analysis revealed three themes namely, a) social relationships and challenges, with four subcategories (‘‘social seclusion of the child and parent’’, ‘‘limitation of parents’ social relations’’, ‘‘unsupportive interactions’’), b), psychoemotional challenges, with three subcategories (‘‘intrapersonal conflicts,’’ ‘‘worries, especially about future of the child,’’ and ‘‘sense of loneliness,’’), and c) health economic problems (“financial needs”, “burden of care and daily needs”, “employment and income”). Conclusions. Caring for a child with cerebral palsy exposes the children with cerebral palsy and their parents to a wide range of psychosocial problems and challenges among the Idoma people, some of which are related to the nature of the child’s disease, and some are due to a shortage of facilities and lack of attention to the parents’ needs. Therefore, to promote the parents’ health and provide better care services to the afflicted child, it is important to recognise the parents’ problems and remove such obstacles. Studies like this can provide valuable information for designing a family centered care programme for children with cerebral palsy. Keywords : Psychosocial Problems, Well-Being, Children, Cerebral Palsy, Idoma Cosmology DOI: 10.7176/JPCR/58-03 Publication date: September 30 th 2024