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. 2011 Dec;101(12):2308-16.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300298. Epub 2011 Oct 20.

Changes over time in the health of caregivers of children with health problems: growth-curve findings from a 10-year Canadian population-based study

Jamie C Brehaut  1 , Rochelle E Garner, Anton R Miller, Lucyna M Lach, Anne F Klassen, Peter L Rosenbaum, Dafna E Kohen
Affiliations

Changes over time in the health of caregivers of children with health problems: growth-curve findings from a 10-year Canadian population-based study

Jamie C Brehaut et al. Am J Public Health. 2011 Dec.

Abstract

Objectives: We used Canadian population-based data to examine changes in the health of caregivers of children with complex health problems compared with caregivers of healthy children over a 10-year time period.

Methods: The National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth collected data biennially from 9401 children and their caregivers in 6 waves from 1994-1995 to 2004-2005. We conducted growth-curve analyses of these data to model self-reported general health and depressive symptoms for 4 groups of caregivers: caregivers of healthy children, and caregivers of children with 1, 2, or at least 3 of 4 conceptually distinct indicators of child health problems. We modeled covariates for children (age, gender, only-child status) and caregivers (age, gender, education, income, marital status).

Results: After we controlled for covariates, caregiver health outcomes worsened incrementally with increasing complexity of child health problems. Change in self-reported general health and depressive symptoms over the 10-year period was consistent across all groups of caregivers.

Conclusions: Poorer health among caregivers of children with health problems can persist for many years and is associated with complexity of child health problems. Attention to parental health should form a component of health care services for children with health problems.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Depressive symptoms scores for caregivers of children with health problems and caregivers of healthy children: National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, Canada, 1994–2005. Note. Model estimates derived from growth-curve analyses that included covariates for children's health indicators, age, gender, and only-child status, and for caregivers’ age, gender, education, income, and marital status.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Self-reported health of caregivers of children with health problems and caregivers of healthy children: National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth, Canada, 1994–2005. Note. Model estimates derived from growth-curve analyses including covariates for children's health indicators, age, gender, and only-child status, and for caregivers’ age, gender, education, income, and marital status.
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