Introduction and objective: Scoliosis is a serious clinical problem which requires a systematic physical therapy and control of body balance - treatment from the moment of achieving skeletal maturity by a child. In the situation of neglect of such a management, the deformation of the spine often requires surgical intervention. The role of parents in the process of treatment of a child is undeniable. The study concerns the determination of socio-economic conditions and the engagement of parents with children treated due to scoliosis in Eastern Poland.
Material and methods: The study was conducted by means of a diagnostic survey. The study group consisted of 193 parents (148 females [76.7%] and 45 males [23.3%]) - a randomly selected sample of the parents of children who participated in scoliosis rehabilitation courses in rehabilitation centres in Eastern Poland. The significance of the relationships between variables was investigated by means of chi-square test for independence. The differences between the empirical and theoretical sample distribution was examined by means of chi-square goodness-of-fit test. The significance level was set at p=0.05.
Results: The study group covered 47.7% of inhabitants of rural areas and small towns, and 52.3% of inhabitants of medium-size and large cities. Respondents possessing university education provided their children a wider profile of health care; however, they neither supervised exercises at home nor paid attention to the maintenance of the normal body posture. The diagnosis of scoliosis in a child rarely affects the relationship between parents. The engagement of parents into rehabilitation treatment of their children is small.
Conclusions: There is a relationship between social variables and engagement in the treatment of a child with scoliosis. There is a need to create a system of education for parents concerning scoliosis and the consequences of its negligence. The enrolment of a psychologist into the treatment team should be considered, which would provide support for the parents of children suffering from scoliosis.