Relationship between Environmental Barriers and Quality of Life of School-Aged Children, Aged 8-12, with Cerebral Palsy in Tehran

Improving the quality of life in children and adolescents with disabilities is the primary goal of children's rehabilitation services and researchers. Reducing and identifying environmental barriers for children with disabilities are essential to create an inclusive society. The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between environmental barriers and quality of life of children with cerebral palsy. In the current descriptive/analytical cross-sectional study, 67 children with cerebral palsy were selected via the convenience sampling. Data were collected using demographic questionnaire, European Child Environment Questionnaire (ECEQ), and CP-QOL questionnaire (Primary Caregiver). The data were analyzed using SPSS software running Pearson correlation. The findings showed that there is a significant negative relationship between quality of life and environmental barriers (r = -0.36, p <0.05). Also, a significant negative correlation was found between the quality of life of children with cerebral palsy and physical environment of home, the physical environment of the community, transportation, and social support (p <0.05). However, there was no relationship between the quality of life and the components of the physical environment of the school, social support at home, attitude of family and friends, attitude of teachers and therapists, and attitude of classmates (p <0.05). The results of the present study showed that there is a significant relationship between quality of life and environmental barriers so that as environmental barriers around children with cerebral palsy decrease, the quality of life increases and vice versa.