Occupational Balance Status among Mothers of Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Cross-sectional Study.

Abstract

Background: Mothers of children with cerebral palsy (CP) usually take on most of the daily caregiving. These responsibilities can limit their chances to rest, take care of themselves and participate in meaningful activities, which may disturb their occupational balance. Aim: This study aims to examine the status of occupational balance among mothers of children with CP. Methods: This study was conducted by the quantitative approach with a cross sectional design and purposive sampling. Data was collected through a face-to-face survey among 157 participants by using a standard questionnaire (OBQ11). Data were collected through a semi-structured sociodemographic questionnaire and the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ-11). Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used to examine the association between occupational balance status (low vs. high) and selected sociodemographic variables. Results: Most mothers were young adults, married, living in combined families and not engaged in paid employment. OBQ-11 responses showed that a large proportion of mothers had difficulties maintaining a satisfactory balance between activities done for themselves and for others. Many reported dissatisfaction with the time available for rest, relaxation and leisure. Overall, more than half of the participants were classified as having low occupational balance. No statistically significant associations were found between occupational balance status and any of the examined sociodemographic variables (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Mothers of children with CP in this Bangladeshi context commonly experience occupational imbalance, regardless of their sociodemographic background. These findings highlight the importance of including caregiver-focused assessment of occupational balance and related occupational therapy interventions. Keywords: occupational balance, mothers, cerebral palsy, occupation, caregivers, cross-sectional study.