Date Presented 03/21/24
This 2021 retrospective national survey of 1,549 self-reported caregivers of children with developmental disabilities provided insight into the prevalence of reported poor physical and mental health and its impact on personal activities of daily living (ADL) function.
Primary Author and Speaker: Cindy W. W. Poole
Additional Authors and Speakers: David Levine, Stephanie Forbert, Tessa Baker, Sydney Baker, Sarah Tindall, Blair Shelton
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived mental and physical health related quality of life (HRQOL) for caregivers (CG) of children with developmental disabilities (DD) to understand the CG experiences that impact holistic OT pediatric care.
DESIGN: Quantitative, cross-sectional, U.S. Survey.
METHOD: A 2021 retrospective cohort study of 1,549 self-reported caregivers of children with DD was obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Data was analyzed using SPSS 28.0. Nine survey questions addressed HRQOL including ‘how many days [mental or physical] health were not good’ or the ‘number of days poor health impacted CG activities’ of daily living compared to non-caregivers (NCG) in the past 30 days.
RESULTS: Caregivers were predominantly female (74.1%). The percentage of caregivers of children with DD that reported poor mental health (14 or more days per month) was significantly greater (20.6%) than non-caregivers (12.1%), p < 0.001, Odds Ratio 1.9 (1.7-2.1 95% CI). The percentage of CG of children with DD that reported poor physical health (14 or more days per month) was also significantly greater (13.8%) than non-caregivers (11.9%), p = 0.01, Odds Ratio 1.2 (1.0-2.4 95% CI). The percentage of CG of children with DD that managed child personal care was 69.5%. The majority of CG of children with DD had provided care for over 5 years (75.0%) and for greater than 40 hours/week (47.7%).
CONCLUSION: CG of children with DD had significantly more days of reported poor mental and physical health than NCG, which impacted personal performance of self-care, work, or recreation.
IMPACT STATEMENT: The negative impact of caregiving is often overlooked. The physical and mental health of this critical team member is crucial to the functional outcomes of the child. This study solidifies the need for health promotion interventions for both the CG and the child.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, August 7). Caregiving for Family and Friends - A Public Health Issue. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/aging/caregiving/caregiver-brief.html
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022, August 12). LLCP 2021 Codebook Report: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. https://www.cdc.gov/brfss/annual_data/2021/pdf/codebook21_llcp-v2-508.pdf
