Functional Status and Quality of Life in Young Adults with Cerebral Palsy

Objective: To identify the sociodemographic characteristics, pain level, quality of life, functional state, mobility, and depression level in adults with cerebral palsy (CP). Material and methods. Our study included 78 adults with CP (mean age 24.75±7.66 years, 40.5% males) and 79 control subjects (mean age 26.74±6.72 years, 38.5% males). The quality of life, depression, and mobility of all participants were evaluated. In addition, functional status, functional independence and activity level were evaluated in the adult CP group. The depression level was determined by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the mobility level was identified via Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI), and the quality of life was evaluated by the Short Form-36 (SF-36). The functional level of adults with CP was assessed with Gross Motor Function Classification System. Functional independence and activity level were evaluated using the Functional Independence Measure scale (FIM). Pain level was assessed with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). Results. The patient and control groups were statistically different in terms of their educational status, marital status, duration of marriage, employment status, and monthly income (p<0.05). SF-36 summary scale scores and subgroup scores, as well as RMI and FIM scores of CP patients, were lower than in the control group. In addition, we revealed a statistically significant positive correlation of FIM scores with SF-36 physical and mental components, along with a statistically significant negative correlation of VAS with FIM, and of FIM with GMFCS: p<0.001, r= 0.450; p=0.013, ^0.279; p=0.022, r= -0.257; p<0.001, r= -0.741, respectively. Conclusion. We established that the quality of life, along with the mobility and functional levels, were lower in young adults with CP than in the control group, while the depression and pain levels were higher vs. control group. Hence, pain, depression, mobility, functional level, and quality of life should be assessed during the follow-up of adult patients with CP