CAREGIVERS OF CHILDREN WITH A DIAGNOSIS OF CEREBRAL PALSY: A REVIEW OF THE TOPIC FROM THEIR MENTAL HEALTH

Abstract

Cerebral palsy is a group of movement and posture development disorders that limit children’s participation in daily life activities. For this reason, they require personal care from their parents, who experience changes in various areas of their lives, including personal, social, work, and family aspects. These changes begin from the moment they receive the medical diagnosis and persist throughout the child’s growth.

The objective was to conduct a search for scientific articles, focusing on the mental health and quality of life impact on parents and caregivers of children diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Methodologically, a non-systematic literature review was carried out using various databases: Google Scholar, PubMed, Dialnet, Scopus, and Scielo.

The results are consistent across most studies, confirming that the impact on caregivers’ physical and mental health is predominantly negative, showing significant health-related changes. The literature identified that a large part of these impacts is emotional, including psychological stress, low mood, depression, loss of autonomy, feelings of guilt, and frustration.

Finally, it is concluded that children with cerebral palsy condition their caregivers to experience health-altering changes, manifesting as symptoms of anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, stress, and musculoskeletal disorders. All these factors lead caregivers to adapt their environment and needs to provide proper care and upbringing for their child.