‘They haven’t ever discussed my feelings. I wish they would’: How Obstetric Brachial Plexus Palsy (OBPP) affects mental wellbeing in children: A Mixed-Methods Approach

Abstract

Obstetric Brachial Plexus Palsy (OBPP) is an injury in newborn children. OBPP results from injury to the cervical roots C5-C8 and thoracic root T1. This thesis explores the factors which may affect mental wellbeing in children with brachial plexus palsy, as well as determining the level of mental health need across specialist OBPP services.
A review of the literature was conducted systematically to identify the gap in the literature focusing upon the mental health of children with OBPP. The original search was conducted in 2021 and then updated in 2023. Qualitative data was collected through five online qualitative questionnaires with the children and five semi-structured interviews with their care-givers) over an eight month period. Quantitative data was collected through a survey completed by eighty one healthcare professionals working with OBPP.
A convergent mixed methods design was chosen in the study enabling the researcher to gain insight into the views of both children with OBPP and their caregivers via semi- structured interviews and an online questionnaire and a survey to give the professional opinion of a range of healthcare professionals involved in the care and treatment of OBPP.
The study employed an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis framework to make sense of the experiences of both the children and their caregivers. Within the findings, three super-ordinate themes emerged from both sets of interviews which encapsulate the mental wellbeing of children living with OBPP: “Emotional Impact,” “Quality of Life,” and “Need for Mental Health Services”.
Quantitatively, the study analysed the data using a Cluster Analysis, which found significant correlations relating to healthcare professionals and the levels of exposure to OBPP, how often mental health is discussed in clinic, how often patients are referred to mental health services and how equipped they feel to work with OBPP patients.
This is the first mixed methods study to look at the mental health of children with OBPP alongside professional’s views of the need for mental health services to work with this population from a bio-psycho-social perspective, as well as the development of a specific quality of life framework for children with OBPP. Original contributions are also made towards the field of mental health by way of an original framework designed to indicate whether a child will need mental health input for their disability.

Date of Award	28 Nov 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Northumbria University
Supervisor	Toby Brandon (Supervisor) & Mariyana Schoultz (Supervisor)