Parenting in the Context of Cerebral Palsy: A Narrative Review from the Perspective of Health Psychology

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7213/psicolargum.43.120.AO15

Abstract

This narrative review aimed to analyze theoretical and empirical contributions regarding parenting in the context of Cerebral Palsy (CP) from a health psychology perspective. CP encompasses various clinical syndromes marked by motor difficulties and/or posture problems. Parents of children with CP are at higher risk of experiencing parental stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, reduced psychological well-being, and overall health. Despite the presence of negative health outcomes for these parents, it was found that there is some variability in psychological adjustment in response to the adaptive challenges of CP. The evidence gathered suggests that cognitive mediators such as parental self-efficacy and parental psychological flexibility may explain this adaptive variability. The synthesis of the findings demonstrated the ability of both variables to significantly influence the psychological adjustment of parents of children with CP. Enhancing self-efficacy beliefs and the ability to flexibly adjust to parental demands proved to be a priority and a valid option for healthcare professionals seeking to promote more adaptive responses in this population. Finally, there is a recognized need for the development of interventions to promote healthier psychological states through the psychological flexibility and self-efficacy of these parents.

Keywords: Cerebral Palsy; Psychological Adjustment; Parental Self-Efficacy; Parental Psychological Flexibility; Health Psychology.

 

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Author Biography

André Faro, Universidade Federal de Sergipe

Doutor em Psicologia (UFBA, 2008-2010). Professor dos cursos de Graduação e Pós-Graduação em Psicologia da Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS) desde 2013. Pós-Doutor/Visiting Scholar em Saúde Pública e Saúde Mental na Johns Hopkins University (JHU, Bloomberg School of Public Health) (2017-2018). Líder do Grupo de Estudos e Pesquisas em Psicologia da Saúde (GEPPS/UFS).

Published

2025-02-24

How to Cite

nunes, daiane, & Faro, A. (2025). Parenting in the Context of Cerebral Palsy: A Narrative Review from the Perspective of Health Psychology. Psicologia Argumento, 43(120). https://doi.org/10.7213/psicolargum.43.120.AO15