Coping with stress and adaptation in mothers of children with cerebral palsy.

Abstract

Raising a child with cerebral palsy is stressful for the parent because it requires an intensive physical engagement as well as coping with emotional reactions to the child's condition. Parents have different modes of adapting to stress and demands caused by the disorder. The Resiliency Model of Family Stress, Adjustment and Adaptation postulates that the use of certain coping strategies facilitates successful family adaptation to the child's condition. Our study included 60 mothers of two- to seven-year-old children with diagnosed cerebral palsy. The modified Family Crisis-oriented Personal Evaluation Scales, with its five sub-scales, was applied to assess the strategies used by families to cope with stress. The most frequently used strategy is reframing, whereas other strategies were used less frequently. The study has revealed some differences in adoption of certain strategies by mothers from urban and rural areas as well as of those strategies which depend on the severity of the child's condition. The fact that reframing is the most frequently used strategy is encouraging because it helps parents to make their grave situation more acceptable. Institutional support is also often used by mothers of children with severe form of disease because of their need for medical care. Recognition of coping strategies of the parents is important and useful for the development of therapeutic interventions aimed at facilitating family adaptation in families with a child with developmental disabilities.