Participation in leisure-time activities and the role of individual factors in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy

Background/Aims This study evaluated the role of individual factors of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy in the prediction of leisure participation. Methods A cross-sectional study design was used. A group of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy were selected to complete the Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment. Participants’ cognitive levels were assessed based on the Study of Participation of Children with Cerebral Palsy Living in Europe estimated cognitive levels. Findings The models could best predict up to 31.8% of the variance in the participation rates, 28.4% of the variance in the frequency scores and 33.5% of the variance in the enjoyment scores of leisure domains. The type of cerebral palsy was one of the most significant predictive factors of leisure participation (β ranged from −0.177 to −0.525 for quadriplegia). Conclusions Therapists and rehabilitation specialists may consider individual factors to predict a proportion of leisure participation subscales before planning for interventions aimed at promoting the leisure participation of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.