Comparative Study of Anxiety and Depression among the Caregivers of Male and Female Cerebral Palsy..
Updated: Dec 22, 2022
Author: Ammara Rafique University of Karachi Pakistan DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.7393364 Cerebral Palsy 2022 Volume: 26A02
Abstract:
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a permanent neurological disorder caused by lesion formation in the brain during the prenatal, perinatal, or postnatal period of development 1 . Previously we reported that males were more vulnerable to acquire CP as compared to females in Karachi, Pakistan 2 . CP-inflicted children are partially or fully dependent on caregivers which directly influences the emotional, marital, physical, social, and economic status of the caregivers 3 . It is observed that caregivers of CP children have elevated levels of anxiety and depression than caregivers of healthy children 4 . The studies on this topic are scant in developing countries, particularly Pakistan. The present descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to compare the anxiety and depression levels in the caregivers of male and female CP-inflicted children. The study was carried out between February 2020 and March 2021 with the caregivers of CP children who were admitted at Al Umeed Rehabilitation Association (AURA), Karachi, Pakistan. Among 46 approached caregivers, only 30 (75%) voluntarily participated which encompassed 19 caregivers of male CP children (Group 1), and 11 caregivers of female CP children (Group 2). The data for physical characteristics and secondary problems accompanying CP cases were recorded from the admission files of the institute whereas the socio-demographic profile questionnaire and hospital anxiety depression scale (HADS) data were collected via face-to-face interviews with the caregivers. Independent sample t-test was employed for the comparative study of caregivers of both groups. No significant association was found between the sociodemographic profile of the caregivers and the characteristics of CP with the gender of CP children
(p >0.05). However, compared to the caregivers of female CP children, caregivers of male CP children had significantly higher anxiety (7.09±1.64; 8.42±1.6, p < 0.05), depression (5.90±1.8; 8.10±1.88, p < 0.01), and total HADS scores (6.50±1.79; 8.26±1.75, p < 0.001). Conclusively, the present study depicted the higher vulnerability of anxiety and depression in the caregivers of male CP children. Further clinical studies with a larger sample size are required to confirm the reported findings. Identification of anxiety and depression in caregivers of CP children and providing adequate psychological, moral, and social support on a mass scale is necessary for the Pakistani population.
References: [1] Rosenbaum P, Paneth N, Leviton A, Goldstein M, Bax M, Damiano D et al. A report: the
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[2] Rafique A, Naz H. A survey-based report on the occurrence of cerebral palsy in urban areas of Karachi. J Pak Med Assoc. 2020;70(8):1442-4. [3] Byrne MB, Hurley DA, Daly L, Cunningham CG. Health status of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy. Child Care Health Dev. 2010;36(5):696-702. [4] Al-Eithan MH,
Robert AA, Al-Saeed AH. Mood problems of mothers with disabled children in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Med J. 2010;31(10):1161-5.
Biography: Ammara Rafique studied at Department of Biochemistry of the University of Karachi, Pakistan from 2011 to 2014 ((Bachelor’s and Master’s degree). Presently, she is awaiting a final viva to obtain her PhD degree in Biochemistry. She is a ‘Teaching Assistant’ at the University of Karachi. Her research interests include clinical biochemistry, developmental cognitive neuroscience, neurodevelopmental disorders, pediatric neuropsychology, and rehabilitation.
