Investigation of the effect of injury type and functional level on activity participation and quality of life in children with obstetric brachial plexus injury: Child and family perspective

This study was conducted to evaluate the type of injury and functional level in children with obstetric brachial plexus palsy from the perspectives of children and their families and to examine the effect on activity participation and quality of life. The study was conducted on individuals between the ages of 7-17 and their parents enrolled in Special Education and Rehabilitation Centers in Şanlıurfa province. During the research process, a total of 74 participants were studied, 30 for Type 1 (Erb palsy), 31 for Type 2 (Klumpke) and 13 for Type 3 (Total). As data collection tools, Personal Information Form was used for demographic information, Narakas Classification was used to determine the type of injury, Brachial Plexus Outcome Measurement for activity and participation, Mallet Scale for function assessment, Abilhand-Kids Questionnaire for manual skills, Pediatric Disability Assessment Record Questionnaire was used to evaluate activity participation and daily living skills, and Pediatric Data Collection Tool Questionnaire was used to determine quality of life. SPSS 23.0 program was used for data analysis. p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. The findings of the study revealed that there was a significant relationship between the happiness and satisfaction levels of parents and the happiness and satisfaction levels of children (r = 0.519). This relationship was found to be positive and moderate, and it was determined that the happiness levels of parents had a positive effect on the happiness levels of children. In addition, a strong positive relationship was found between parents' global functional competence and children's global functional competence (r = 0.736). A significant correlation was also found between parents' PBI parameters and children's PBI parameters (r = 0.837), indicating that parents' PBI levels strongly positively affect children's PBI levels. Similarly, a significant relationship was found between parents' Abilhand-Kids parameters and children's Abilhand-Kids parameters (r = 0.76), indicating that parents' Abilhand-Kids levels strongly positively affect children's Abilhand-Kids levels. In the light of these findings, considering that parents play an important role in the functional development of children, it is recommended to encourage the active participation of parents in treatment processes.