Quality of Life Among Caregivers of Children with Cerebral Palsy Versus Neurotypical Children: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Abstract

Background: Caring for a child with cerebral palsy (CP) imposes substantial physical, psychological, social, and environmental challenges, significantly affecting caregivers’ quality of life (QoL). While caregiver burden in CP has been widely studied, few studies have compared QoL in CP caregivers versus neurotypical kids using standardized instruments.

Objective: To compare QoL across the four WHOQOL-BREF domains between CP caregivers and parents of neurotypical kids.

Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted involving 55 CP caregivers and 55 caretakers of neurotypical children. QoL was measured using WHOQOL-BREF (Physical, Psychological, Social, Environmental domains). Independent t-tests were performed for group comparisons.

Results: CP Caregivers reported significantly lower QoL across all domains compared to caregivers of neurotypical children (p<0.001). The largest disparities were observed in the psychological and environmental domains, indicating heightened emotional stress and social isolation.

Conclusion: CP Caregivers experience substantially poorer QoL across all dimensions. Targeted psychosocial, physical, and environmental interventions are urgently required to support this vulnerable population.