Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Jun 18;11(6):e036494.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2019-036494.

Caregiver burden versus intensity of anxiety and depression symptoms in parents of children with cerebral palsy as well as factors potentially differentiating the level of burden: a cross-sectional study (Poland)

Barbara Gugała  1
Affiliations

Caregiver burden versus intensity of anxiety and depression symptoms in parents of children with cerebral palsy as well as factors potentially differentiating the level of burden: a cross-sectional study (Poland)

Barbara Gugała. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the relationship between caregiver burden and severity of symptoms of anxiety/depression in parents of children with cerebral palsy (CP), and to identify factors differentiating the level of caregiver burden.

Setting: Regional rehabilitation centres in South-Eastern Poland.

Participants: The study involved 190 parents of children with CP, that is, 138 women and 52 men.

Primary and secondary outcome measures: Caregiver burden was assessed using Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS), while the intensity of anxiety and depression symptoms was measured using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Potential predictors were examined using Gross Motor Function Classification System for Cerebral Palsy (GMFCS), Barthel Index (BI) as well as a questionnaire focusing on the characteristics of the child, the parent and the family. The analyses applied Pearson's linear correlation coefficient as well as multiple regression analysis.

Results: All the CBS measures are significantly correlated to HADS-A (anxiety) and HADS-D (depression). Intensity of anxiety is most visibly linked to CBS measures of disappointment and environment (p<0.0001), while severity of depression is related to emotional involvement and general strain (p<0.0001). The factors differentiating caregiver burden measure in the subscales of general strain (p<0.0001) and social isolation (p<0.0001) include the child's age and BI, and the parent's health status; in the subscale of disappointment (p<0.0001)-the child's age, BI, GMFCS, as well as the parent's age and health status; in the subscale of emotional involvement (p=0.0007)-BI, and the parent's health status; in the subscale of environment (p=0.0002)-the child's age and BI.

Conclusions: There is a positive linear relationship between the caregiver burden measures and severity of anxiety and depression. Effort should be made to relieve caregiver burden in parents of children with CP.

Keywords: anxiety disorders; depression & mood disorders; preventive medicine; public health.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Basińska M, Wędzińska M. Fatigue with everyday life and satisfaction with life of parents of children with cerebral palsy. In: Wudarski A, ed. In search of the quality of life: an interdisciplinary study: a jubilee book dedicated to Romuald Derbis. Częstochowa, Akademia im: Jana Długosza, 2014: 245–58.
    1. Rethlefsen SA, Ryan DD, Kay RM. Classification systems in cerebral palsy. Orthop Clin North Am 2010;41:457–67. 10.1016/j.ocl.2010.06.005 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Oskoui M, Coutinho F, Dykeman J, et al. . An update on the prevalence of cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Dev Med Child Neurol 2013;55:509–19. 10.1111/dmcn.12080 - DOI - PubMed
    1. McIntyre S, Taitz D, Keogh J, et al. . A systematic review of risk factors for cerebral palsy in children born at term in developed countries. Dev Med Child Neurol 2013;55:499–508. 10.1111/dmcn.12017 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bottcher L. Children with spastic cerebral palsy, their cognitive functioning, and social participation: a review. Child Neuropsychol 2010;16:209–28. 10.1080/09297040903559630 - DOI - PubMed