The effect of factors affecting families with physically disabled children on family functionality i̇n rehabilitation

Baskent University, Institute of Health Sciences, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Department Master Thesis. It has been observed that the children of families acting in cooperation with the therapist are more functional in their daily life activities and their competencies are increased in rehabilitation programs. However, there is no study in the literature about which factors affect the functionality of the family in the rehabilitation process. The purpose of this study is to determine the factors that prevent the contribution of the family to rehabilitation by examining the difficulties experienced by the caregivers and the changes in their lives. The study was carried out on 100 primary caregivers who have physically disabled children between the ages of 0-18. Barthel Daily Life Activities index to determine the level of independence of physically disabled children, Bakas Care Delivery Impact Scale to determine the care burden of primary caregivers and Family Functionality Scale in Rehabilitation to evaluate the functions of families in the rehabilitation process was applied using face to face interview technique. As a result of the study, the mean score of the Bakas Care Giving Impact Scale and Family Functionality Scale in the rehabilitation participation sub-dimension was statistically higher than the families who did not know their baby's disability (p<0.05). The average scores obtained by the primary caregivers who prepare themselves about the disability of the baby and the primary caregivers who feel sufficient to cope with the condition of the child from the Bakas Care Giving and Family Functionality Scale awareness, attitude and behavior, social participation and participation in rehabilitation subscale were statistically higher than those who did not prepare themselves for the issue of disability and did not feel sufficient about it (p>0.05). No relation was found between Bakas Care Giving, Barthel and Family Functionality Scale scores (p>0.05). The average scores obtained by the caregivers of the physically handicapped child between the ages of 0-2 and the family functioning scale in the rehabilitation participation sub-dimension were statistically higher than the caregivers with the handicapped children between the ages of 7-11. As a result, it is thought that the primary care families who know the disability before birth, have a disabled child and prepare themselves for this are more involved in the rehabilitation process, therefore it is necessary to evaluate not only the disabled individual but also the family along with the rehabilitation process and the needs of the child and the family must be met together. Key Words: Physical disability, Care burden, Family function