Abstract

MORILLA, Carla Matheus; CALDAS, Carla Andrea Cardoso Tanuri; SCARPELLINI, Amanda Cristina Alcantara Verceze  and  DOS SANTOS, Patricia Leila. Family resources and promotion of development of children with cerebral palsy. J. Hum. Growth Dev. [online]. 2017, vol.27, n.2, pp. 166-174. ISSN 0104-1282.  http://dx.doi.org/10.7322/jhgd.122707.

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral palsy (CP) describes a group of permanent disorders of movement and posture, causing activity limitation, attributed to a non-progressive disorder that occurs in the developing brain. The family of a child with CP becomes essential and will be much in demand, both to drive the child's development in a favourable environment and to maintain his health. A well-functioning family and a variety of environmental stimuli can be decisive in supporting children with CP. OBJECTIVE: To analyse family dynamics and the availability of child development-promoting resources in the family environment of children with CP. METHODS: We recruited a sample of 25 mothers of children with CP in the Hospital das Clínicas of Ribeirão Preto. Mothers completed the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES IV), the Inventory of the Family Environment Resources (FER) and a sociodemographic questionnaire. RESULTS: The average age of mothers was 32.3 (±7.6) years; 68 per cent had completed at least primary education and 80 per cent were living with a partner. The average age of the children was 48.0 (±15.5) months; 56 per cent were girls and 68 per cent attended day care or preschool. Moderate correlations were observed between environmental resources and family functioning (0.39<r<0.70), and the FACES IV indicative scales of good family functioning showed positive correlations with the overall score of FER. CONCLUSION: Children with CP have few opportunities to participate in activities outside the home, but have received a good supply of resources in their homes. Well-functioning family dynamics showed an association with a greater supply of resources in the domestic environment.

Keywords : cerebral palsy; family; child development; protective factors; family relations.

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