To investigate the effects of fatigue, gross motor function, and gender on participation in life situations of school-aged children with cerebral palsy (CP) from a parental perspective.

The study included 209 children with CP aged between 5 and 13 years (mean age, 8.06 ± 2.41 years; girls, 45.5%) and their parents. Fatigue, gross motor function, and participation status were evaluated with the Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL), Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), and the Assessment of Life Habits (Life-H) questionnaire, respectively. The effects of fatigue, gross motor function, and gender on participation were investigated with linear regression analysis.

According to parental reports, 79.9% of the children had fatigue. Children in all GMFCS levels experienced fatigue. Fatigue and GMFCS levels were dependent variables, and therefore only simple linear regression analyses were performed. Fatigue explained 38–43% of the variances in daily activities, social roles, and total Life-H scores, while gross motor function explained 48–65% of the variances in scores (p < 0.001). Gender had no effect on participation scores (p > 0.05).

More than two thirds of the school-aged children with CP had fatigue. Fatigue and poor gross motor function had a negative effect on participation in daily activities and social roles.