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KMID : 0378019900330070035
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New Medical Journal
1990 Volume.33 No. 7 p.35 ~ p.41
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Study of Personality Characteristics of Mothers of Cerebral Palsied Children as Indicated by MMPI(Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) Test Results
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Abstract
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This study was performed under the hypothesis that mothers of the handicapped children are not only living in shock caused by their child´s clinical diagnosis but also suffer severe stress from the strain of bringing up a handicapped child. Accordingly it was hypothesized that mothers of cerebral palsied children would have higher scores on MMPII scales compared with mothers of normal children.
The subjects of the study were 41 mothers of cerebral palsied children whose ages were from one month up to 15 years and 42 mothers of a control group with normal children of matched ages. The MMPI was administered to both subject groups and then the MMPI results were analyzed statistically.
The results are as follows
1. The mothers of cerebral palsied children had significantly higher scores in the categories of Hypochondriasis, Depression, Hysteria, Paranoia, Psychopathic Deviate, Schizophrenia and Hypomania than those of the control group.
2. Among mothers of the cerebral palsied children, the personality characteristics were not significantly different according to the child´s sex in all scales except hypochondriasis.
3. In the test of correlation between the cerebral palsied child´s age and the personality characteristics of their mothers, there was significant negative correlation between age and the psychasthenia and schizophrenia scales.
From reviewing and judging the above described test result of the cerebral palsied children, the following conclusions may be made. In order to perform more effective rehabilitation of handicapped children, the concentration on conventional rehabilitative treatment of the handicapped children only and not the family should be expanded.
It is strongly recommended that adequate treatment be provided to those parents who are in danger of being unable to adapt to the long period of psychological stress which is a side effect of their child´s disability.
This can be done by counseling as well as psychotherapy. It is also believed that counseling and psychotherapy of the mothers of cerebral palsied children should be included as a specialty in its own right in the field of rehabilitation medicine.
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