Self‐concept of children with cerebral palsy compared with that of children without impairment

This study examined whether the self‐concept of children with cerebral palsy (CP) differed from that of children without impairment. Forty‐seven children (24 males, 23 females; mean age 11y 8mo [SD 2y 6mo]) with spastic diplegia or hemiplegia were matched with children without impairment. The level of disability of the children with CP was classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System Level I (n=24), Level II (n=16), or Level III (n=7). The 36‐item Self‐Perception Profile for Children was used to assess six domains of self‐concept. No difference was found between the groups for Global Self‐worth, Physical Appearance, or Behavioural Conduct. Children with CP scored lower on Scholastic Competence (t92=‐2.75, p=0.01), Social Acceptance (t92=‐1.96, p=0.05), and Athletic Competence (t92=‐3.63, p<0.01) than children without impairment. Males with CP had lower scores for Scholastic Competence (t46=‐3.54, p<0.01) than males without impairment. Females with CP had lower scores for Social Acceptance (t44=‐2.31, p=0.03) than females without impairment. Both males and females with CP had lower scores for Athletic Competence than their peers without impairment. These results suggest that children with CP do not have a lower Global Self‐worth even though they may feel less competent in certain aspects of their self‐concept. Clinicians need to account for this when deciding on management strategies and may need to educate parents, carers, and health professionals that a lower self‐concept may not necessarily be associated with a diagnosis of CP.

[1]  K. Dodd,et al.  A systematic review of the self‐concept of children with cerebral palsy compared with children without disability , 2006, Developmental medicine and child neurology.

[2]  D H Harvey,et al.  The self-concept of physically handicapped children and their non-handicapped siblings: an empirical investigation. , 1984, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[3]  N. C. Ellis,et al.  THE SELF‐CONCEPT OF YOUNG PEOPLE ‘ WITH SPINA BIFIDA: A POPULATION‐BASED STUDY , 1994, Developmental medicine and child neurology.

[4]  J. Skellern.  The self concept of children and adolescents and the effects of physical disability. , 1978, The Australian nurses' journal. Royal Australian Nursing Federation.

[5]  J. Jutai,et al.  Adolescents with physical disabilities: some psychosocial aspects of health. , 1996, The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine.

[6]  R. Palisano,et al.  Development and reliability of a system to classify gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy , 1997, Developmental medicine and child neurology.

[7]  G. Schreiber,et al.  Psychometric properties of the Self-Perception Profile for Children in a biracial cohort of adolescent girls: the NHLBI Growth and Health Study. , 1999, Journal of personality assessment.

[8]  F. Bryant,et al.  Please Scroll down for Article Journal of Personality Assessment Assessing the Factorial Invariance of Harter's Self-concept Measures: Comparing Preadolescents with and without Spina Bifida Using Child, Parent, and Teacher Report , 2022 .

[9]  S. Teplin,et al.  Self‐Concept of Young Children with Cerebral Palsy , 1981, Developmental medicine and child neurology.

[10]  Stephen Joseph,et al.  Reliability of the Harter Self-Perception Profile for Children and predictors of global self-worth. , 1994, The Journal of genetic psychology.

[11]  M. Oliver.  Social Policy and Disability: Some Theoretical Issues , 1986 .

[12]  N. Hurlbut,et al.  The self-esteem of adolescents with cerebral palsy. , 1986, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[13]  T. Strax.  Psychological problems of disabled adolescents and young adults. , 1988, Pediatric annals.

[14]  G. King,et al.  Self-evaluation and self-concept of adolescents with physical disabilities. , 1993, The American journal of occupational therapy : official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

[15]  Dianne B. Cherry,et al.  Relationship between Self-Esteem and Social Support in Physically Disabled and Able-Bodied Adolescents , 1991 .

[16]  W. J. O'Donnell.  Adolescent Self-Reported and Peer-Reported Self-Esteem. , 1979 .

[17]  L. Woolfson.  Family well-being and disabled children: a psychosocial model of disability-related child behaviour problems. , 2004, British journal of health psychology.

[18]  J. Darrah,et al.  Evaluation of a Community Fitness Program for Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy , 1999 .

[19]  M. W. Clark,et al.  STRESS IN FAMILIES OF CHILDREN WITH MYELOMENINGOCELE , 1986, Developmental medicine and child neurology.

[20]  S. Coopersmith,et al.  The antecedents of self-esteem. , 1969 .

[21]  H. Graham,et al.  Strength Training Can Have Unexpected Effects on the Self-Concept of Children with Cerebral Palsy , 2004, Pediatric physical therapy : the official publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy Association.