Effectiveness of Coping Strategies for Stress and Anxiety for Parents (Caregiver) of Cerebral Palsy children using Thumb Abduction Splint

This study examines the physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges that children with cerebral palsy (CP) and their parents face, particularly focusing on the thumb-in-palm deformity that limits hand function. While splints can help improve hand function, the care demands often increase parental stress and anxiety, impacting their mental health. The study aims to assess the effectiveness of providing thumb splints alongside coping strategy training, compared to splints alone, on perceived stress and anxiety levels in parents of children with CP. In this study, 30 parents were assigned to either an experimental group (n=15) or a control group (n=15). Both groups received thumb splints for their children’s deformities. The experimental group participated in 12 coping strategy sessions over three months, while the control group received standard care. Mental health outcomes were measured pre- and post-intervention using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and the Generalized Anxiety Scale (GAD). Results showed that post-intervention stress and anxiety scores in the experimental group were significantly lower than pre-intervention levels, demonstrating improved mental health outcomes. The experimental group, which received both splinting and coping strategies, showed greater improvement in PSS and GAD scores compared to the control group, which received splints alone. These findings suggest that combining splinting to address CP-related functional limitations with targeted coping strategies provides additional benefits in reducing parental stress and anxiety. Equipping parents with effective coping techniques empowers them to better manage care demands and supports their overall mental well-being.