Self-concept in children with cerebral palsy: is there something in the wind?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare self-concept in four groups of children distinguished by the presence/absence of either a motor impairment (with and without cerebral palsy, CP) or social adjustment problems (victimisation).

Method: Four groups were formed: a victimised CP group (n=17), a non-victimised CP group (n=41), a victimised comparison group (n=10) and a non-victimised comparison group (n=46). Self-concept was measured using the Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC, Harter The Self-Perception Profile for Children. Unpublished manual. Denver, CO: University of Denver; 1985) during the school visit. Victimisation was obtained by conducting a classwide sociometric interview in the class of the target child.

Results: The results indicate that the groups differ depending on the domain measured.

Conclusions: By identifying factors that may influence self-concept in children with CP, this study contributes new information to this subject.