Authors
1 Assistance Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, Arak University of Medical Sciences (Arak MU), Arak, Iran.
2 Professor, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences (USWR), Tehran, Iran.
3 Biostatistician, Associate Professor, Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology , School of Health and Psychosomatic disorders research center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (MUI), Isfahan, Iran.
4 Assistance Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Background
Spina bifida (SB) is the most common abnormalities in neural tube defects in Iran. The aim of this study was to assess health-related quality of life in mothers of children with spina bifida and to compare their quality of life with mothers of children with cerebral palsy (CP).
Materials and Methods
Two-hundred and three mothers were recruited using the convenience sampling strategy in a cross-sectional study. Quality of life (QOL) in mothers was assessed using a validated Persian version of 36-item Short Form Health Survey questionnaire according to the different levels of Hoffer criteria and types of Spina Bifida of their children. Also, the quality of life of mothers in this study was compared with data on Iranian healthy women and Iranian mothers of children with cerebral palsy.
Results
This study showed that the Sf-36 scores were significantly different between mothers having Spina Bifida children of different levels of Hoffer criteria and Spina Bifida types in terms of mean of physical component summary and mental component summary scores of SF-36 (P<0.001). In mothers of children with Spina Bifida, the mean SF-36 scores were 27.70 + 35.25 that reduced scores than those in the general population (66.5+ 39.1). There was no difference between QOL of mothers of children with SB and children with CP (P>0.05).
Conclusion
This study indicated that mothers of children with Spina Bifida suffer from poor quality of life similar to mothers of children with cerebral palsy, and should create supportive strategies for the physical and psychological aspects of their quality of life.
Keywords
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