Comparison of the Effects of Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Breathing Exercise on the Autonomic Nervous System in Mothers of Children With Cerebral Palsy

Gross motor functional classification (GMFCS)

时间窗: Baseline (prior to intervention)

It can be found by palisino for the operation of gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy, it is a scale with proven validity and reliability. It is specially prepared for children with cerebral palsy up to 12 years of age, depending on the independence and independent movements allowed in movements such as transfer and mobilization, the limitation in functionality and the use of assistive devices. age, 12-15 years, 15-18 years). The GMFCS categorizes motor function into five levels (I to V), where Level I indicates the highest level of independence and functional ability, and Level V represents the most severe motor limitations. Therefore, higher levels correspond to poorer outcomes in terms of gross motor function.

beck depression scale

时间窗: 3 week

The Turkish version of the Beck Depression Scale, which has been validated and reliable in Turkish, was used to assess depression. Each question is scored between 0-3 and consists of 4 items. The survey consists of 21 questions. The total score is calculated as 63 points by evaluating symptoms and behavior. The scale includes; pessimism, sleep disorders, self-hatred, mood, desire to punish oneself, dissatisfaction, guilt, sense of failure, sense of punishment, somatic disorder, exhaustion, fatigue, body perception status change, self-blame, crying spells, determination of workability, stress, social isolation, difficulty in decision making, eating status, weight loss and sexual issues. The higher the final score of the survey, the higher the level of depression. According to the scale scores; 0-9 is interpreted as "no or minimal depression", 10-16 as "mild depression", 17-29 as "moderate depression", and 30-63 points as "severe depression".

Caregiving Burden Scale

时间窗: 3 week

The Caregiving Burden Scale, developed to assess the perceived burden in caregivers, was created by Zarit and his colleagues in 1980. The Turkish validity and reliability study was conducted by İnci and Erdem. The scale is a 22-item, 5-point Likert-type scale that measures the social and emotional difficulties experienced during the care process. Each item is scored between 0-4, and the total score ranges from 0 to 88. As the score increases, the perceived care burden increases proportionally. According to the evaluation results; 0-20 is considered low or almost no burden, 21-40 is considered mild-moderate burden, 41-60 is considered moderate-high burden, and 61-88 is considered excessive burden. In the reliability study of the Turkish form, the Cronbach Alpha coefficient was determined as 0.95, and the test-retest reliability was found to be 0.90. In addition, according to factor analysis, the scale has a one-dimensional structure and effectively reflects the stress level.

NORDIC musculoskeletal system questionnaire

时间窗: 3 week

The Scandinavian Musculoskeletal System Questionnaire was employed to identify painful regions in the participants. This tool evaluates musculoskeletal complaints in areas such as the lower back, neck, shoulders, and other body regions. It offers reliable information regarding the onset, prevalence, and consequences of symptoms experienced over the past 12 months and the previous 7 days across nine categorized anatomical regions (feet/ankles, knees, thighs, hips, hands/wrists, lower back, elbows, upper back, shoulders, and neck). The questionnaire can be completed independently or through an interviewer-administered format. The NMQ-E records the presence of symptoms in each region using binary (yes/no) responses, and results are reported as percentages. Higher percentages indicate a greater prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints in the corresponding region, reflecting poorer outcomes.

Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)

时间窗: 3 week

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess the sleep quality of the participants. It is a questionnaire that evaluates sleep quality and current sleep disorders within a one-month period. The PSQI consists of 19 items and is scored under 7 components. These components are subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disorders, use of sleeping pills, and daytime dysfunction. The participant obtains a general sleep quality score by summing the scores from the seven components . Apart from these components, there are 5 additional questions in the rest of the questionnaire that must be answered by the participant's bed partner if the participant has one. However, these 5 questions are not used in the total score, but are used in clinical interpretation . All 19 questions are scored between 0 and 3. A score of 0 for each component indicates that there is no difficulty with that question, while a score of 3 indicates t

Autonomic Nervous System Assessment (Polar H10)

时间窗: 3 week

The Polar H10 device is a reliable and sensitive sensor that evaluates autonomic nervous system (ANS) functions via heart rate variability (HRV). In the Cubios system, multiple HRV parameters-including HR (bpm), RMSSD (ms), SDNN (ms), LF (ms²), and HF (ms²)-are integrated into a single analytical model to assess overall autonomic nervous system (ANS) function. Although each parameter has a different measurement unit, the system processes them collectively to produce a unified outcome. Therefore, these measures are not reported individually but are synthesized into a composite ANS balance evaluation.