Impacts of the severity of infantile cerebral palsy in preschoolers on emotional characteristics and personality traits of their mothers

Abstract

The results of studying emotional characteristics and personality traits in mothers (N = 103) who raise preschoolers with cerebral palsy of different severity vs. the same features in mothers of potentially healthy children (N = 50) are presented. Impacts of psychophysical development, communication and behavior peculiarities in children with cerebral palsy on personality traits, self-perception, perception of a child and attitude towards a child’s disease in their mothers are considered. It is shown that on the stage of bringing up a preschooler suffering cerebral palsy psychological defense mechanisms of denial and repression are developed in his/her mother particularly if the child significantly delays in motor skills and mental function development.