Abstract:

The aim of this study is to evaluate the musculoskeletal disorders of the parents who care for the disabled individual and to examine the musculoskeletal system disorders of the parents according to the child's independence level in daily life activities. 59 parents caring for a disabled person were included in the study. The Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire was applied to the parents after questioning the diagnosis, disability type, mobility status, independence in eating, dressing, toilet activities, disability duration, income level of caregivers, number of children, and whether they received regular caregiver support. The Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire scores of independent groups were compared using the Mann Whitney-U test. The mean age of the disabled individuals was 9.55+6.04 years, and the duration of disability was 7.66+5.54 years. Cerebral palsy diagnosis was the highest (47.5%) and physical disability was the highest (49.2%) in disabled individuals. The mean age of the parents was 38.22±7.85 years. When the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire subdivision scores were examined, it was seen that the highest score was in the lumbar region (15.94±24.59). The mean The Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire total score was 106.13±185.09. A significant difference was found between the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire scores of the caregivers according to the independence status of disabled individuals in walking, eating, toileting, and dressing activities (p<0.05). A significant correlation was found between the disability duration of the disabled individual and the Cornell Musculoskeletal Discomfort Questionnaire scores of the parents (r=0.283, p=0.03). It was observed that the musculoskeletal system disorders of the parents who care for the disabled individuals who are independent in eating, walking, toilet and dressing activities are less. We think that interventions aimed at increasing the level of independence of disabled individuals in their daily living activities may be beneficial for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders of caregivers.

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