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. 2019 Sep 30;61(3):384-388.
doi: 10.3897/folmed.61.e39344.

Impact of Orthopedic Surgery on Parents of Children Affected by Cerebral Palsy: a Preliminary Study in Greece

Assimina Tsibidaki  1 , Haridimos Tsibidakis  2 , Anastasia Tsamparli  1 , Doxa Kotzia  3 , Artemisia Panou  4
Affiliations

Impact of Orthopedic Surgery on Parents of Children Affected by Cerebral Palsy: a Preliminary Study in Greece

Assimina Tsibidaki et al. Folia Med (Plovdiv). .

Abstract

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a serious disorder with an important impact not only on the affected person but also on parents and the entire family. CP children often undergo surgery with long stay hospitalization.

Aim: The aim of the study was to highlight the impact of orthopedic surgery on parents of children affected by cerebral palsy in Greece.

Materials and methods: The semi-structured interviews of 80 parents (40 fathers and 40 mothers) of nuclear and intact families were collected. All parents were of Greek nationality, belonged to the middle socio-economic class and had at least one child affected by CP candidate to orthopedic surgery.

Results: The majority of parents’ perception was that CP is a condition requiring special education, need for specialized services and a medical problem that affects the entire family. Their expectations after orthopedic surgery were focused mainly on child’s healing and hope to have a “healthy” child, while expectations from future surgery were focused on improving child’s quality of life, movement and gait.

Conclusions: Parents of CP children have different perceptions of the clinical condition and a variety of expectations about orthopedic surgery and its outcomes.

Keywords: Greece; orthopedic surgery; parents; cerebral palsy.

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