Dissertation on Transition to Adulthood and Adult Health Care for Young People with Cerebral Palsy

Cerebral palsy is the most common cause of physical disability in children, with a prevalence of 1.6 cases per 1,000 live births in high-income countries. It is a lifelong condition which is why researchers are now increasingly focusing on the transition to adulthood for young people with cerebral palsy, both in terms of promoting their participation in different areas of life and in facilitating their transition to adult health care.

The primary aims of this dissertation are to investigate the autonomy of young people with cerebral palsy in the transition to adult life and their readiness for the transition from paediatric to adult health care, as well as the factors associated with this transition process.

The secondary aim was to identify the level of health and disability of young people with cerebral palsy and identify the significance of this difference through comparative analysis with a reference group of the same age.

The results of the study indicate that a sound and structured transition process is relevant in the context of rehabilitation in Latvia, including social rehabilitation and general health care. The results are relevant for young people with functional impairments living in Latvia, their relatives, and persons involved in their health care and in promoting social skills.

‘Publishing this data fills a scientific gap between Western Europe, the USA, Australia, Scandinavia, and the Baltic region, as health care, including rehabilitation, has different traditions and rates of development in different European and world countries,’

explains Zane Rožkalne, PhD student at RSU.

Zane Rožkalne will defend her doctoral thesis “Autonomy in Participation and Health Care and Transition Readiness to Adult Health Care for Young People with Cerebral Palsy” on 1 March 2023.
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Dissertation database