Measuring the concept of impact of childhood disability on parents: validation of a multidimensional measurement in a cerebral palsy population.
The FICD+4 is a brief, psychometrically sound parent survey that captures both negative and positive impacts of cerebral palsy on families.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Guyard et al. (2012) tested a new survey called FICD+4. It asks parents how cerebral palsy affects family life.
They gave the survey to European families who have teenagers with CP. Then they checked if the numbers were reliable and valid.
What they found
The survey worked well. It captured both hard parts and good parts of living with CP.
Parents said the questions felt clear and real. The math backed that up.
How this fits with other research
Cançado et al. (2011) looked at 16 family tools and said most lack tough psychometric work. Audrey’s team did that work, so the FICD+4 now fills the gap.
Aza et al. (2024) also validated a CP QoL scale, but they used child plus parent reports. Audrey kept it parent-only, making it faster for busy clinics.
Guerrero et al. (2025) found most QoL items fail in rural Peru. Audrey’s European sample liked the FICD+4, showing cultural fit matters.
Why it matters
You now have a quick, solid tool that measures the full family impact of CP. Use it during intake to spot both stressors and strengths. Repeat it yearly to show families how they grow.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Print the FICD+4, give it to new CP parents at intake, and graph the four domain scores in your report.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Living with a child with a disability can affect family life in various domains. Impacts on time, expenses, work, relationships within the family, social relationships and physical and psychological health can be observed. The Family Impact of Childhood Disability (FICD) is a specific instrument designed to assess this situation. Used in a cross-sectional survey, this questionnaire was extended to consider two missing aspects: impact on work and health (FICD+4). This paper addresses the psychometric qualities of the FICD in Europe among parents living with an adolescent with cerebral palsy. Expecting the FICD+4 could assess detailed impact dimensions, an exploratory analysis was conducted. We interviewed 242 families of 13- to 17-year-old adolescents with cerebral palsy living in Europe. Good psychometric properties were found in negative and positive FICD scales and in six underlying factors extracted from exploratory factor analysis on FICD+4. These results support the psychometric validity of the FICD in the assessment of the impact of disability in European families who live with an adolescent with cerebral palsy. They also highlight the multifaceted aspects of the impact of childhood disability on the family and suggest that the FICD+4 is a good tool for assessing specific negative impacts on time, finances, work, social relationships and positive impacts on parental feeling and family attitude. This scale needs further validation and could be helpful for research and clinical interventions.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2012 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2012.03.029