Date Presented 03/23/24
Little is known about the direct causes of anxiety in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) and what factors contribute to the development of anxiety, aside from pain. This systematic review will address the connection between anxiety and CP.
Primary Author and Speaker: Shannon Schoellig
Additional Authors and Speakers: David Call, Brandee Deibel, Miranda Mercer, Ashley Ziminski
PURPOSE: Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a lifelong condition that impacts motor function, affecting two to three in 1,000 live births. CP has long been researched, identifying this population at an increased risk for developing anxiety. Anxiety in the general population can be severely debilitating, preventing successful engagement in meaningful occupations. It is pertinent to understand the factors causing anxiety in individuals with CP to enable these individuals to completely engage in meaningful occupations.
DESIGN: A systematic review of a cross-sectional, retrospective, and case-control study met the inclusion criteria for this review.
METHOD: Implementing a search string developed in collaboration with a research librarian across five academic databases returned 899 citations. Titles and abstracts were screened and 20 full-text articles were reviewed against inclusion and exclusion criteria leaving three articles for data extraction and quality assessment.
RESULTS: Each of the three studies in this review revealed only correlations and preliminary data, limiting data comparison for extraction. The high risk of bias in two of the three articles impacts the validity of generalizing results. The lack of data and alternate focus of these studies highlight the fact that there is limited meaningful data identifying significant causes of anxiety in individuals with CP that are not associated with pain.
CONCLUSION: There is a lack of published evidence that identifies causes of anxiety not associated with pain, showing that the current research on individuals with CP and their experience with anxiety is one-dimensional. Further research is needed to identify significant causes of anxiety to provide a more complete understanding of the condition. Therefore allowing clinicians to address anxiety in individuals with CP in a meaningful way.
References
Smith, K. J., Peterson, M. D., O’Connell, N. E., Victor, C., Liverani, S., Anokye, N., & Ryan, J. M. (2019). Risk of depression and anxiety in adults with cerebral palsy. JAMA Neurology, 76(3), 294. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2018.4147
Jahnsen, R., Villien, L., Aamodt, G., Stanghelle, J., & Holm, I. (2004). Musculoskeletal pain in adults with cerebral palsy compared with the general population. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 36(2), 78–84. https://doi.org/10.1080/16501970310018305
Gorter, J. W., Fehlings, D., Ferro, M. A., Gonzalez, A., Green, A. D., Hopmans, S. N., McCauley, D., Palisano, R. J., Rosenbaum, P., & Speller, B. (2022). Correlates of Mental Health in Adolescents and Young Adults with Cerebral Palsy: A Cross-Sectional
Kirshner, S., Weiss, P. L., & Tirosh, E. (2016). Differences in autonomic functions as related to induced stress between children with and without cerebral palsy while performing a virtual meal-making task. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 49–50, 247–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2015.11.025
