AGREEMENT BETWEEN CHILD AND PARENT REPORTS ON QUALITY OF LIFE IN CHILDREN WITH CEREBRAL PALSY: ASSOCIATIONS WITH FUNCTIONAL DOMAINS, PSYCHOSOCIAL HEALTH, AND THE IMPACT OF SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS

Abstract

This study examines the agreement between health-related quality of life assessments in children with cerebral palsy and their mothers, analyzes the relationship between functional domains (daily activities, mobility, pain, fatigue, nutrition, communication) and psychosocial health of the child from the perspectives of both children and mothers, and investigates the impact of maternal education level and family socioeconomic status on the psychosocial health of children as assessed by their mothers. The study involved 61 children with cerebral palsy, aged 5 to 18 years, along with their mothers who were the primary caregivers. Data were collected using validated instruments, including the PedsQL 4.0 and PedsQL 3.0 questionnaires, completed by both the children and their mothers. Socioeconomic status was determined using the Hollingshead index, and statistical analysis—descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests (Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Spearman’s correlation)—was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 25. The results showed significant differences in quality of life assessments between children and their mothers, particularly in the domains of daily activities, school activities, mobility, and balance. Daily activities, mobility, and nutrition were correlated with the psychosocial health of children according to the children’s self-reports, while, according to mothers’ assessments, the strongest correlations were observed for daily activities and nutrition. Socioeconomic status and maternal education level did not have a significant association with the psychosocial health of children in this sample. The findings highlight the importance of considering the child’s perspective and focusing interventions on daily functioning.