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Not yet recruitingNCT07846917Updated Sep 29, 2026

Sleep Quality, Caregiver Burden, Stress, and Self-Efficacy in Parents of Children With Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy: A Comparison by Night Orthosis Use

An observational study in Cerebral Palsy, Sleep Disorders and Caregiver Burden, sponsored by Atılım University. Not yet recruiting at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-29.

Sponsored by Atılım University · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Cohort
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
150
Sex
All
01

Study summary

This observational study aims to compare sleep quality, caregiver burden, stress, and self-efficacy between parents of children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy who use night orthoses and those who do not. Approximately 150 parents will be included and divided into two groups according to their children's night orthosis use. The study will investigate whether night orthosis use is associated with differences in parental sleep quality, caregiver burden, stress, and self-efficacy.

Read the detailed description

Children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy may experience sleep disturbances that can affect their parents' sleep quality and caregiving responsibilities. Night orthoses are commonly used in the management of cerebral palsy; however, their relationship with parental sleep quality and psychosocial outcomes remains unclear.

This observational, comparative study will include approximately 150 parents of children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy. Participants will be divided into two groups: parents of children who use night orthoses and parents of children who do not use night orthoses.

Parental sleep quality, caregiver burden, stress, and self-efficacy will be assessed using standardized questionnaires. The outcomes will be compared between the two groups to examine potential associations with night orthosis use.

The findings may contribute to a better understanding of the relationship between night orthosis use and parental well-being and may help inform family-centered rehabilitation approaches.

02

Conditions studied

  • Cerebral Palsy
  • Sleep Disorders
  • Caregiver Burden

Keywords

  • Spastic Diplegic Cerebral Palsy
  • Night Orthosis
  • Sleep Quality
  • Caregiver Burden
  • Parental Stress
  • Parental Self-Efficacy
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
Child (0–17), Adult (18–64), Older adult (65+)
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Approximately 150 parents of children aged 6-15 years with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy will be included. Parents will be classified into two groups according to their children's existing night orthosis use. Parental sleep quality, caregiver burden, parenting stress, and self-efficacy will be compared between groups.

Inclusion criteria

  • Being the parent of a child aged 6-15 years diagnosed with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy.
  • Being the child's primary caregiver.
  • Having provided active care for at least 6 months.
  • Being literate.

Providing informed consent to participate in the study.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

Parent-related criteria:

  • Having a diagnosed severe psychiatric disorder.
  • Regular use of medications affecting sleep patterns (e.g., sedatives).
  • Having a severe chronic disease (e.g., advanced cardiac or renal disease).
  • Having experienced a major acute stressor (e.g., bereavement or trauma) within the previous month.
  • Having a primary neurological disorder directly affecting sleep.

Child-related criteria:

  • Having undergone orthopedic surgery within the previous 3 months.
  • Having received botulinum toxin injections within the previous 3 months.
  • Having severe epilepsy or a history of uncontrolled seizures.
04

Study design

Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
150 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Parents of Children Using Night Orthoses

    Parents of children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy who regularly use night orthoses. Parental sleep quality, caregiver burden, perceived stress, and self-efficacy will be assessed.

  • Parents of Children Not Using Night Orthoses

    Parents of children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy who do not use night orthoses. Parental sleep quality, caregiver burden, perceived stress, and self-efficacy will be assessed.

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)

    Parental sleep quality will be assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a 19-item self-report questionnaire evaluating sleep quality over the previous month. The global score ranges from 0 to 21, with higher scores indicating poorer sleep quality. A score greater than 5 indicates poor sleep quality.

    Time frame: At baseline (single assessment)

  2. Zarit Burden Interview

    Caregiver burden will be assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), a 22-item self-report questionnaire evaluating the physical, emotional, social, and economic burden of caregiving. Each item is scored from 0 to 4, yielding a total score ranging from 0 to 88. Higher scores indicate greater caregiver burden.

    Time frame: At baseline (single assessment)

  3. Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF)

    Parenting stress will be assessed using the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF), a 36-item questionnaire comprising three subscales: Parental Distress, Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction, and Difficult Child. Total scores range from 36 to 180, with higher scores indicating greater parenting stress.

    Time frame: At baseline (single assessment).

  4. Parental Self-Efficacy Scale

    Parental self-efficacy will be assessed using the 17-item Parental Self-Efficacy Scale. The Turkish version will be used to evaluate parents' perceived confidence in their parenting abilities

    Time frame: At baseline (single assessment)

06

Study locations

1 site
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Lang CP, Boucaut A, Guppy M, Johnston LM. Children with cerebral palsy: A cross-sectional study of their sleep and their caregiver's sleep quality, psychological health and well-being. Child Care Health Dev. 2021 Nov;47(6):859-868. doi: 10.1111/cch.12897. Epub 2021 Jul 26. PubMed 34265112 ↗
  • Mol EM, Monbaliu E, Ven M, Vergote M, Prinzie P. The use of night orthoses in cerebral palsy treatment: sleep disturbance in children and parental burden or not? Res Dev Disabil. 2012 Mar-Apr;33(2):341-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2011.10.026. Epub 2011 Nov 25. PubMed 22119679 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07846917
Lead sponsor
Atılım University
Responsible party
Süleyman Korkusuz (Assist. Prof. Dr, Atılım University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Sep 29, 2026
Start date
Nov 1, 2026 (estimated)
Primary completion
Dec 20, 2026 (estimated)
Completion
Jan 1, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 29, 2026

Study contacts

Süleyman Korkusuz, PhD
Contact
suleyman.korkusuz@atilim.edu.tr
+905388675480
Süleyman Korkusuz, PhD
principal investigator · Atılım University
Büşra Seçkinoğulları Korkusuz
study chair · Ankara University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

Not currently enrolling

This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Sep 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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