The perception of disability in cerebral palsy: a cross-sectional study using the WHODAS 2.0

ABSTRACT

This observational study aims to describe the level of perceived disability in Cerebral Palsy (CP). We described the perception of adults by using the interviewer-administered version of the WHO disability assessment schedule (WHODAS 2.0). In case of intellectual disability (ID), the proxy-administered version was used, and a caregiver was asked to report the difficulties experienced by the patient; 199 patients were enrolled. The level of perceived disability was higher when referred to patients with ID (proxy report) than when referred to patients without ID (p < .001). For all patients, the level of perceived disability varied depending on the severity and the localization of motor impairment (both p < .001). No differences were observed based on the type of motor impairment. The perceived disability was correlated with age only for patients with no ID (p < .05). The WHODAS 2.0 may be a useful tool to explore the perception of disability in CP.

KEYWORDS:

• Adult
• cerebral palsy
• disability
• disease
• WHODAS 2.0

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Corrente)

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/17518423.2023.2232002

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Italian Ministry of Health (Ricerca Corrente).