1.Determinants of the Psychological States of Mothers of Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Cross-sectional Study in Bangladesh
Hayati Kadir Shahar ; Sankar Chandra Debnath ; Norliza Ahmad ; Ahmad Z. Fattah Azman ; Md. Nazrul Islam
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2021;17(No.4):13-20
Introduction: Cerebral palsy is a group of early childhood chronic mobility disorders. Parenting a child with cerebral
palsy is often challenging, especially for mothers. This research aimed to identify the determinants of the psychological
states of mothers of children with cerebral palsy in Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted
from December 2019 to February 2020. A total of 344 mothers of children with cerebral palsy was recruited using a
simple random sampling technique and guided questionnaires. The data were analysed using the Chi-square test and
logistic regression models. Results: The overall response rate was 98.29%. The median (IQR) age of respondents and
the children with cerebral palsy were 30 (13) and 6 (6), respectively. The proportions of mothers with good knowledge
on cerebral palsy and having higher negative family impact were 57.8% and 41.9%, respectively. Fifty-nine per
cent of mothers of children with cerebral palsy had higher levels of maternal psychological stress. The predictors of
maternal psychological stress were the mother’s age, marital status, types of family, family income, age of children,
gender, and higher levels of the negative maternal appraisal. Conclusions: Mothers of children with cerebral palsy
in Bangladesh had a higher level of maternal psychological stress. The factors identified in this study could help to
develop policies and strategies to minimise maternal psychological stress associated with parenting children with
cerebral palsy in Bangladeshi households.