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
. 2023 Apr 3;13(4):e065215.
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065215.

Factors associated with caregiver burden among family caregivers of children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review

Fang Liu  1 , Qiao Shen  2 , Miao Huang  1 , Hengyu Zhou  3
Affiliations

Factors associated with caregiver burden among family caregivers of children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review

Fang Liu et al. BMJ Open. .

Abstract

Objectives: To identify caregiver and children factors associated with caregiver burden on primary caregivers of children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Design: Systematic review DATA SOURCES: Seven electronic databases, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus, PsycINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL and Embase, were systematically searched up to 1 February 2023.

Eligibility criteria: Original observational studies reporting caregiver burden and related factors among caregivers of children with CP.

Data abstraction and synthesis: Two reviewers independently screened results and assessed the quality of studies. Title, abstract, full-text screening and data abstraction were done independently by two reviewers. Risk of bias was assessed using the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies. The quality of evidence for factors was rated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

Results: 16 articles were included in the review. All studies were cross-sectional and examined caregiver-reported burden measures. The Zarit Burden Interview was the most commonly used questionnaire. Depression of caregiver and severity of illness in children with CP were moderate quality of evidence for factors contributing to caregiver burden.

Conclusions: Higher caregiver burden is associated with more depressive feelings and worse life quality of the caregiver, and with more severe physical disability of the children. Future studies should focus on high-quality longitudinal research and appropriate assistance to reduce caregiver burden and improve the quality of caregiving for children with CP.

Prospero registration number: CRD42021268284.

Keywords: developmental neurology & neurodisability; primary care; rehabilitation medicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram for a systematic literature review on caregiver burden in children with cerebral palsy (CP).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. McIntyre S, Goldsmith S, Webb A, et al. . Global prevalence of cerebral palsy: a systematic analysis. Dev Med Child Neurol 2022;64:1494–506. 10.1111/dmcn.15346 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bax M, Goldstein M, Rosenbaum P, et al. . Proposed definition and classification of cerebral palsy, April 2005. Dev Med Child Neurol 2005;47:571–6. 10.1017/s001216220500112x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Odding E, Roebroeck ME, Stam HJ. The epidemiology of cerebral palsy: incidence, impairments and risk factors. Disabil Rehabil 2006;28:183–91. 10.1080/09638280500158422 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Elbasan B, Duzgun I, Oskay D. Is there any difference in health related quality of life, self care and social function in children with different disabilities living in turkey? Iran J Pediatr 2013;23:281–8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aisen ML, Kerkovich D, Mast J, et al. . Cerebral palsy: clinical care and neurological rehabilitation. Lancet Neurol 2011;10:844–52. 10.1016/S1474-4422(11)70176-4 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types