Caregiver practice and quality of life among children with cerebral palsy
Abstract
Purpose: This study explored how caregiver practices relate to the quality of life (QoL) of children with cerebral palsy (CP) in Surakarta, with particular attention to caregiver adherence to recommended care and to CP severity as determinants of QoL outcomes.
Methods: A retrospective cohort design was employed involving 163 children with CP and their primary caregivers in Surakarta. Data were collected from medical and caregiver records to assess caregiver adherence to recommended care practices, severity of CP, and children’s QoL. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine the strength of associations between caregiver adherence, CP severity, and QoL outcomes.
Results: High caregiver adherence was significantly associated with improved QoL in children with CP. Children whose caregivers showed high adherence were 2.75 times more likely to have better QoL than those with low adherence. Additionally, CP severity emerged as a strong predictor of QoL, with more severe cases associated with poorer QoL.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that caregiver practices, particularly consistent adherence to recommended care plays an important role in supporting the quality of life of children with CP. At the same time, the clinical severity of CP remains a key influencing factor. Strengthening caregiver training, improving access to healthcare support, and promoting more holistic rehabilitation approaches may therefore improve long-term outcomes for children with CP.
References
McIntyre S, Goldsmith S, Webb A, Ehlinger V, Hollung SJ, McConnell K, et al. Global prevalence of cerebral palsy: A systematic analysis. Develop- mental Medicine & Child Neurology. 2022; 64(12):1494–506.
Andromeda, Hartini N, Suryanto. Reassuring the prevalence of cerebral palsy in Asian children and adolescents. Kemas. 2023;19(1):42–52.
Moenardi MCS, Sungkar E, Hawani D. Cerebral palsy parents’ knowledge, attitude, and behavior at Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung 2014. Althea Medical Journal. 2020;7(2):84–8.
Vitrikas K, Dalton H, Breish D. Cerebral palsy: an overview. American Family Physician. 2020;101 (4):213–20.
Tedla JS, Asiri F, Reddy RS, Gular K, Kakaraparthi VN, Sangadala DR, et al. Caregiver’s quality of life among children with cerebral palsy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and various influencing factors: a single cohort study. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare. 2023;16:3705–14.
Sogbossi ES, Houekpetodji D, Kpadonou TG, Bleyenheuft Y. Mothers’ perception of cerebral palsy in a low-income country of West Africa: a cross-sectional study. Disability and Rehabilitation. 2022;44(17):4767–74.
Poojari DP, Umakanth S, Maiya GA, Rao BK, Khurana S, Kumaran D S, et al. Effect of family-centered care interventions on well-being of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review. F1000Research. 2024;12:790.
Eloreidi RMD, Kehyayan V, Kalu F, Thornton L. Needs of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy: A literature review. Journal of Nursing Education and Practice. 2021;11(9):23.
Saikia D, Pradhan MR. Quality of life of children with cerebral palsy: evidence from Assam, India. Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health. 2024;28: 101686.
Benfer KA, Whittingham K, Ware RS, Ghosh AK, Chowdhury S, Moula G, et al. Efficacy of early intervention for infants with cerebral palsy in an LMIC: An RCT. Pediatrics. 2024;153(4):e2023063854.
Mahmood Q, Habibullah S, Aurakzai HU. Effectiveness of simple and basic home-based exercise programs including pediatric massage executed by caregivers at their homes in the management of children with spastic cerebral palsy: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine. 2024;17(1):97–106.
Almosallam A, Qureshi AZ, Alzahrani B, AlSultan S, Alzubaidi WI, Alsanad A. Caregiver knowledge, attitude, and behavior toward care of children with cerebral palsy: a Saudi Arabian perspective. Healthcare. 2024;12(10):982.
Zhong X, Wijesinghe CJ . The level and factors associated with caregiver experience among parents of children with cerebral palsy: a cross-sectional study in Southwest China. Frontiers in Public Health. 2025;13:1482011.
Alqahtani A, Sahely A, Aldersey HM, Finlayson M, Macdonald D, Fakolade A. Understanding the parental caregiving of children with cerebral palsy in Saudi Arabia: discovering the untold story. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2025;22(6):946.
Demeke ZD, Assefa YA, Abich Y, Chala MB. Home-based therapy and its determinants for children with cerebral palsy, exploration of parents’ and physiotherapists’ perspective, a qualitative study, Ethiopia. PLoS ONE. 2024;19(12):e0315114.
O’neill P, Koudys J. Scoping review: caregiver training to reduce challenging behaviors displayed by children on the autism spectrum. Behavior Analysis in Practice. 2025;18:56–73.
Rakap S, Balikci S. Investigating the impact of embedded learning opportunities on the engagement of children with autism and intellectual disability. Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities. 2025;1;38(3):e70073.
De Campos AC, Hidalgo-Robles Á, Longo E, Shrader C, Paleg G. F-words and early intervention ingredients for non-ambulant children with cerebral palsy: A scoping review. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. 2023;1;66(1):41–51.
Mota LAT, Silva MZ, dos Santos M, Pfeifer LI. The processes and outcomes related to ‘family-centred care’ in neuromotor and functional rehabilitation contexts for children with cerebral palsy: A scoping review. Child: Care, Health and Development. 2024; 50(3):e13271.
Belir N, Özbiler Ş. Caregivers’ gender as a moderator in the relationship between family quality of life and children’s health-related quality of life. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies. 2025; 20(2):208–20.
Du X, Wei H, Zhang X, Bai C. Gender in old care: comparing sons’ and daughters’ role in parental functional and psychological well-beingen Access. BMC Geriatrics. 2025.
Roman NV, Balogun TV, Butler-Kruger L, Danga SD, Therese de Lange J, Human-Hendricks A, et al. Strengthening family bonds: a systematic review of factors and interventions that enhance family cohesion. Social Sciences. 2025;14(6):371.
Meyling CG, Verschuren O, Rentinck IR, Engelbert RHH, Gorter JW. Physical rehabilitation interventions in children with acquired brain injury: a scoping review. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology. 2021;64(1).
Sharma P, Gupta M, Kalra R. Recent advancements in interventions for cerebral palsy – A review. Journal of Neurorestoratology. 2023;11(3):100071.
Saleh NEH, Summaka M, Zein H, Fneish S, Mazbouh R, Hamieh F, et al. ICF-based multidisciplinary approach to rehabilitation of people with disabilities: perspective and current practices within the Health, Rehabilitation, Integration, and Research Center in Lebanon. Discover Health Systems. 2024;3(1):58.
Magidigidi-Mathiso L, Frantz J, Filies GC. Caregiver capabilities: Healthcare interventions for children with developmental disabilities. African Journal of Disability. 2025;26;14(0):a1563
Copyright (c) 2026 Eka Sulistiyawati, Abdul Wahab, Rosalia Kurniawati Harisaputra
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
