Mothers caring for children with celebral palsy: suggestions for social work support

Abstract

Caring for children with cerebral palsy present numerous challenges. Tension may arise which may contribute to mothers’ inability to care for themselves as well as to cope with the demands of meeting basic needs of their children. This research study aims to develop an in-depth understanding of the experiences of mothers caring for children with cerebral palsy to proffer suggestions for social work support. A qualitative study supported by explorative, descriptive and contextual research designs were undertaken. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews with mothers caring for children living with cerebral palsy, aided by open-ended questions contained in an interview guide. Thematic analysis was utilised following Tesch’s eight steps (cited in Creswell 2014:196) to analyse data and Lincoln and Guba’s classic model (in Loh, 2013:5) was employed for data verification. The study adhered to ethical standards such as confidentiality, informed consent, anonymity and management of information. The major findings highlighted that the birth of a child with cerebral palsy presents pleasant (e.g. siblings helps in caregiving; mother’s love and care to the child and community support) and unpleasant experiences (e.g. mother’s limited movements and leaving employment to care for the child) for mothers. The findings further revealed that some participants had little knowledge about the role and services of social workers. This raises a cause for concern that social workers do not market their services effectively. In addition, lack of support from the children’s fathers was a huge concern which requires social work support. Despite the challenges and unpleasant experiences encountered by mothers, they have adopted a positive attitude towards caregiving. The findings culminated in the presentation of suggestions for social work support, recommendations for social work practice, policy, education and future research.