Long-term course of difficulty in participation of individuals with cerebral palsy aged 16 to 34 years: a prospective cohort study.
Marloes van Gorp, Leontien Van Wely, Annet J Dallmeijer and 3 others
PMID 30187926WHAT IT FOUND
Difficulty in participation increased in young adults with cerebral palsy during their mid-to-late 20s.
While average scores remained high, many individuals reported trouble in housing, relationships, education, employment, and recreation, suggesting a need for targeted support during this transition.
Key findings
01Housing and interpersonal relationship scores decreased significantly with age across the 16 to 34 year range.
02Individuals in GMFCS level IV experienced more difficulty in participation than those in level I across all domains, except for education and employment in their mid-to-late 20s.
03Recreation scores decreased in the mid-to-late 20s, irrespective of GMFCS level.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Individuals with intellectual disability and GMFCS level V were excluded, so results do not apply to these groups. Small sample sizes in GMFCS levels II-IV, especially in the oldest age group, increase uncertainty. Additional analyses for ages 23-34 were largely cross-sectional due to limited longitudinal data in that range. The LIFE-H questionnaire assumes ordinal data can be treated as interval scale. Dropout was 60 participants, though analysis showed it was not selective regarding sex, GMFCS, or CP type.
Declared interests
The study was funded by Fonds NutsOhra. No other conflicts of interest are reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that high average participation scores mean most individuals are functioning well without difficulty. Substantial proportions of participants in every GMFCS level, including level I, reported difficulty in at least one domain, indicating that group means can mask significant individual challenges.