Success in Life for Older Adolescents with Cerebral Palsy

In this article, the psychosocial themes emerging from an exploratory qualitative study are reported. Using a constant comparative method, the authors describe how older adolescents with cerebral palsy defined success in life and the factors they viewed as helping or hindering their success. Participants were 10 adolescents with cerebral palsy between 18 and 20 years of age who took part in a semistructured interview exploring their perceptions of success. For these adolescents, success meant being happy in life. Three key psychosocial factors were related to success in life: being believed in, believing in yourself, and being accepted by others (belonging). The findings are useful in guiding the design of services to meet the life needs of individuals with disabilities.