Social outcomes of young adults with cerebral palsy

Abstract

Background Functional abilities and social outcomes of young adults with cerebral palsy (CP) are relatively underresearched. Improvements in paediatric care have extended the expectation of achieving adulthood to 90%.

Method Young adults aged 20–30 years with CP (n = 335) were compared to a population-based control group (n = 2,152) of the same age. Motor function, self-care abilities, educational level, and social outcomes were determined by questionnaire.

Results Half the study group walked independently, but only 35.5% were independent in self-care. In comparison to their peers without disability, the study group's highest educational level was lower (p < .0001), as were rates of employment (36.3% compared with 80%), they were more likely to be living with parents (80% compared with 21%), to be single, and to have limited financial resources.

Conclusion Young adults with CP are functionally and socially disadvantaged in contrast with their peers without disability. Self-care dependence, intellectual disability, and communication impairments contribute to these outcomes but are not solely responsible.

Keywords:

• young adults
• cerebral palsy
• social outcomes
• functional abilities

Author note

This study uses unit record data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey. The HILDA Project was initiated and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) and is managed by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research (Melbourne Institute). The findings and views reported in this paper, however, are those of the authors and should not be attributed to either FaHCSIA or the Melbourne Institute.

Acknowledgements

We thank the young adults with CP and their families for participating in this study. The authors acknowledge the support of the Victorian Medical Insurance Agency Limited, the name behind Professional Services Australia, and the Victorian Department of Health, who provided funding for the Victorian Cerebral Palsy Register. This research was also supported by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program. Dr Benran Jiang was supported by a Melbourne Research Scholarship from the University of Melbourne. Infrastructure support was provided by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program.

Conflict of interest: No author had a conflict of interest.

Supplementary material available online

Supplementary Appendix.