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Journal of Pediatric Psychology Advance Access published online on October 9, 2008
Journal of Pediatric Psychology, doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsn103
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Parental Reactions Following the Diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy in Their Young Child

Ingrid Rentinck, MSc1,6, Marjolijn Ketelaar, PhD1,2,6, Prof. Marian Jongmans3,4,6, Prof. Eline Lindeman1,2 and Jan Willem Gorter, MD, PhD6

1Rehabilitation Centre De Hoogstraat, Centre of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine Utrecht, the Netherlands, 2University Medical Center, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine, Utrecht, the Netherlands, 3Utrecht University, Department of Special Education, Utrecht, the Netherlands, 4University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Pediatric Psychology, Utrecht, the Netherlands, 5CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, 6Partner of NetChild, Network for Childhood Disability Research in the Netherlands

All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Ingrid Rentinck, Rehabilitation Centre De Hoogstraat, Centre of Excellence for Rehabilitation Medicine Utrecht, Rembrandtkade 10, 3583 TM Utrecht, the Netherlands. E-mail: I.Rentinck{at}dehoogstraat.nl


  Abstract

Objective To investigate parental reactions following the diagnosis of cerebral palsy (CP) in their young children. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 51 parents of children with CP (mean age = 18.5 months, SD = 1.5) completed the Reaction to Diagnosis Interview, assessing their personal reactions to their children's diagnosis. Relationships between these reactions and the severity of CP in terms of motor abilities and the child's cognitive functioning, as well as coping of parents and perceived social support, were investigated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results Thirty-nine parents (77%) were classified as "resolved." Multivariate regression analysis revealed that severity of CP was associated with an "unresolved" status. Conclusion The majority of parents of children with CP have come to terms with this diagnosis by the time their children is 18 months old. The child's gross motor limitations seem to represent an important factor explaining negative parental reactions at this time.

Key words: adaptation; cerebral palsy; parents.

Received August 29, 2008; revision received September 1, 2008; accepted September 4, 2008


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