Prevalence of depression, anxiety, and substance-related disorders in parents of children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review

Abstract

Aim: To estimate the prevalence of mental illness in parents of children with cerebral palsy (CP). Method: This is a systematic review that follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols in the search for observational studies determining the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse in parents of individuals with CP. The information sources used for this study were: PubMed, SciELO, Cochrane Library, Clinical Trials, and Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde. Results: Fourteen articles were selected and included, investigating 1264 mothers and 105 fathers of children with CP. Data extracted for analysis were divided into three categories: study data, data about participants with CP, and data about parents. All studies included volunteer parents, of whom 95 per cent were female. Interpretation: CP is related to a higher prevalence of symptoms of depression and anxiety in parents. Factors such as a child's degree of functionality and socioeconomic level may influence the frequency of mental disorders in parents. However, these studies have heterogeneous samples and applied different criteria to characterize their populations. What this paper adds: Depression and anxiety are more prevalent for parents of children with cerebral palsy (CP) than parents of typically developing children. The child's illness severity is a risk factor for mental illness in parents of children with CP. The more time spent on child care, the higher the risk of mental illness among mothers of children with CP. There is a lack of reliable data in the literature on substance abuse in parents of children with CP.