The Mental Health of Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Review of the Last Five Years of Research.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Children and adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP) often experience associated functional limitations, diseases, or impairments. Included in these associated concerns are mental health symptoms/disorders and academic concerns. There has been an increasing research focus on the mental health of youth with CP over the past 5 years, and there is a need to synthesize this research. This review aims to synthesize the most recent research on the mental and behavioral health of youth with CP.

METHODS

A literature search on research focused on mental health, academic functioning, and mental and behavioral treatment for youth with CP was conducted in August of 2024 and limited to the last 5 years to highlight the most recent developments in this area of research. Four hundred and forty-eight articles were screened, and thirty-eight articles were included in this review.

RESULTS

Based on this literature review, children with CP have high rates of mental health diagnoses across multiple diagnostic areas, including autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, intellectual developmental disorder, anxiety, and depression. Academic concerns are common for children with CP. Intervention studies have focused on both child and parent interventions.

CONCLUSIONS

Research over the past 5 years has added to prevalence estimates of mental health disorders in the pediatric CP population. Considering the high rates of mental health symptoms found in children with CP, future research should focus further on mental health interventions for this population.