Premium
Social participation experiences of mothers of children with cerebral palsy in an Iranian context
Author(s) -
Dehghan Leila,
Dalvandi Asghar,
Rassafiani Mehdi,
Hosseini Seyed Ali,
Dalvand Hamid,
Baptiste Sue
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
australian occupational therapy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.595
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1440-1630
pISSN - 0045-0766
DOI - 10.1111/1440-1630.12215
Subject(s) - cerebral palsy , feeling , context (archaeology) , psychology , developmental psychology , social engagement , international classification of functioning, disability and health , qualitative research , content analysis , social psychology , rehabilitation , psychiatry , sociology , social science , paleontology , neuroscience , biology
Background/aim Social participation is increasingly of interest in research that investigates the impact of caring for a child with a disability. Little has been investigated about the social participation experiences of mothers of children with cerebral palsy ( CP ). This study explored social participation among Iranian mothers of children with CP . Methods The conventional qualitative content analysis method was utilised. Data were collected via in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with 14 mothers (aged 26–45 years) of children with CP with the gross motor function classification system expanded & revised levels III–V. Constant comparative analysis was deployed for data analysis. Results The results were identified and classified into three main themes: (i) polarisation of positive and negative feelings; (ii) challenges to mothers’ social activity; and (iii) striving to engage in society. Conclusion In the Iranian context, mothers of children with CP are facing many challenges to social participation and seem to have been neglected by the health‐care system. One of the priorities of Iranian health policy makers may be developing, establishing and implementing social support to enable the mothers to participate in social activities. Furthermore, occupational therapists can contribute and guide mothers’ social participation by creating programs to develop and utilise skills for them.