Effect of a Self-Management Empowerment Program on Anger and Social Isolation of Mothers of Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Background: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common chronic motor disability, which can have negative impacts on social behavior of mothers as the primary caregivers. Aim: To investigate the effect of an intervention program based on the self-management empowerment model on the anger and social isolation of mothers with CP children. Method: This randomized controlled clinical trial was performed on 72 mothers of CP in Bushehr and Shiraz, Iran, 2015. We employed Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire and the UCLA Loneliness Scale for data collection. The intervention group received self-management empowerment in five steps and two face-to-face sessions and was followed up regularly for 1.5 months. Thereafter, anger and social isolation of both groups were reexamined. Data analysis was performed using the Chi-square test, independent t-test, paired t-test, and Mann-Whitney test in SPSS, version 18. Results: The mean ages of the intervention and control groups were respectively 28.1±6.09 and 28.1±5.8 years, which independent t-test showed to be homogenous (P=0.31). Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of aggression (P=0.58) and loneliness scores (P=0.93); however, after the intervention, independent t-test reflected significant inter-group differences in terms of both scores (P 0.001). Implications for Practice: The designed empowerment program could reduce the anger of mothers of CP children and serve as a framework for empowering these mothers in healthcare and rehabilitation centers. The efficacy of the program in alleviating the social isolation of these mothers requires further research.