Relationship among Gross Motor Function, Parenting Stress, Sense of Control, and Depression in Mothers of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among the gross motor function of children with cerebral palsy and parenting stress, sense of control, and depression in their mothers. Data were collected from 247 children with cerebral palsy and their mothers. To verify the relationship among variables, path analysis was performed. The control variables included the sex and age of the children. The proposed model showed good fit indices. Gross motor function had an indirect effect on parenting stress and depression and a direct effect on parenting stress and self-control (as parenting sense of control). Parenting stress had an indirect effect on depression and a direct effect on self-control and depression. This result suggests the importance of improving the gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy and self-control in the mothers, as well as decreasing parenting stress to reduce the level of the mothers’ depression. Considering the mediating effect of self-control on depression, programs designed to enhance self-control could be effective in decreasing depression in mothers of children with cerebral palsy.