A research on investigating the sleep related problems for patients with cerebral palsy and their caregivers

A Research on Investigating the Sleep Related Problems for Patients with Cerebral Palsy and Their Caregivers. Adnan Menderes University Medical School, Department of Paediatrics.Specialty Thesis, Aydın, 2017. In patients with cerebral palsy (CP), functional deficits, posture, movement disorders as well as accompanying epilepsy, visual, hearing, nutritional and sleep problems negatively affect the life quality of the patient and their caregivers. The purpose of this study is to investigate the sleep problems of patients with CP and their caregivers. Seventy-five children between 2 and 15 years of age with CP diagnosed and 75 patients taking care of them were included in the study. Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) was administered to subjects with CP and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PUQI) Questionnaire was administered to caregivers. The population of the research included patients with CP, 38 females (50,7%), 24% had hemiparesis, 28% diparesis, 42,7% tetraparesis, and 5,3% mix type.It was determined that 70,7% of the patients with CP had epilepsy, 13,3% nutritional problems, 5,3% psychiatric disease, 18,7% sight related disorders, 4% hearing disorders, 76% orthopaedic disorders, and 12% chronic lung infection. The CSHQ score for patients with CP varied between 47 to 78, while the mean score was 62,5±6,5. PSQI score of parents varied between1-19 and the mean was 7, while the 84% of the parents were determined to have a low sleep quality.Sleep problems were more prevalent in pre - school and primary school children with CP (p <0.002).Sleeping problems were higher in patients with nutritional N/G and PEG than in those with oral feeding (p <0.05). Sleep problems were higher in children with epilepsy and cerebral palsy using antiepileptic drugs (p = 0.031, p = 0.030).There was no significant adverse effect of parents' sleep quality on sleep problems in the cases with CP (p> 0,05). The subjective sleep quality was found to be very poor in the parents of CP patients with bedtime resistance, sleep anxiety and parasomnia scores (p <0.003, p <0.038, p <0.038). Sleep duration was shorter and those with parasomnias were found to have more sleep disorders in their parents (p <0,010, p <0,030).The sleep latency was found to be longer in the parents of CP patients with a higher bedtime resistance average score (p <0,016).Children with CP with high parasomnia scores were found to have high daytime dysfunction (p <0,048). Sleep problems in children with CP have a general negative effect on both themselves and their parents' sleep quality and sleep disorders are an important problem for both children and families. We consider that pediatricians should consider the patient in this regard and reduce the problems that affect sleep quality, which will increase the quality of life for both the child and the family. Keywords:Cerebral Palsy, Sleep Disorders, Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Questionnaire.