The Effect of Aerobic Exercises on the Physical and Psychological Conditions of Mothers of Children With Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

The aim of study is to examine the physical and psychological effects of aerobic exercises applied to mothers of children with CP. The study was conducted with 27 mothers of children with CP and diagnosed with Spastic Quadriplegia. During exercises, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and cardiac exercises were applied. The" SF-36 Quality of Life Scale" was used to obtain health-related data. In order to measure muscle strength, manual muscle test and dynamometer measurements were used. Before and after the exercises, which were held three days a week for 8 weeks, measurements were made. T-test for dependent groups was performed in order to identify the difference between measurements. According to SF-36 Quality of Life Scale, significant differences were observed in terms of the variables of physical function, physical role difficulty, pain, vitality, social functionality, mental health, emotional role difficulty, and perception of general health (p0.05). When the pretest and posttest scores obtained from the manual muscle test were compared, significant differences were determined in right arm supination, left arm supination, right arm pronation, and left arm pronation (p< 0.05). It was determined that various exercises performed had positive effects in terms of eliminating functional deficiencies, alleviating pain, socialization, and beck health in individuals who experienced problems related to physical and psychological health.