The Unmet Needs of Parents of Highly Dependent Children with Cerebral Palsy
Physiotherapy Programme, Center for Rehabilitation and Special Needs, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, Kuala Lumpur 50300, Malaysia
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Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16(24), 5145; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16245145
Received: 6 November 2019
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Accepted: 18 November 2019
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Published: 16 December 2019
(This article belongs to the Collection Health and Rehabilitation Issues in Malaysia Heading Towards 2020)
The overall care for children with cerebral palsy (CP) is challenging to the family which causes significant impacts to their livelihood. There is limited qualitative research that reports the unmet needs of parents with physically disabled children, especially highly dependent CP. The aim of this study was to explore the unmet needs of parents of highly dependent children with CP. A qualitative study using semi-structured face to face interviews was carried out among nine parents of children with CP with gross motor classification function score (GMFCS) levels III, IV, and V. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcribed data was analysed using thematic analysis method. Several unmet needs were highlighted by the parents; namely the needs in receiving information regarding CP conditions, getting psychological and financial support and explaining the child’s condition to strangers. In addition, parents expressed the need for better support from the social welfare department, as well as in effectively organising family functioning. The findings of this study indicate that there is a need for the healthcare professionals to develop suitable strategies to assist the parents of highly dependent children with CP in fulfilling their specific needs. The role of relevant agencies should be optimised in addressing this area of concern.
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Keywords:
cerebral palsy; children; parents; family needs; unmet needs
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MDPI and ACS Style
Mohd Nordin, N.A.; Hui Shan, E.; Zanudin, A. The Unmet Needs of Parents of Highly Dependent Children with Cerebral Palsy. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 5145. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16245145
AMA Style
Mohd Nordin NA, Hui Shan E, Zanudin A. The Unmet Needs of Parents of Highly Dependent Children with Cerebral Palsy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; 16(24):5145. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16245145
Chicago/Turabian StyleMohd Nordin, Nor Azlin, Eyu Hui Shan, and Asfarina Zanudin. 2019. "The Unmet Needs of Parents of Highly Dependent Children with Cerebral Palsy" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 24: 5145. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16245145
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