title: Factors associated with caregiver burden among caregivers of children with cerebral palsy in Sri Lanka.
abstract: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 375 caregivers of children with cerebral palsy attending a tertiary care setting in Sri Lanka, to identify factors associated with caregiver burden. Caregiver burden was defined as "caregiver's response to various stressors associated with caregiving" and was measured using Caregiver Difficulties Scale (CDS), developed specifically for this purpose. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess associations between sociodemographic, stressor, and coping factors and caregiver burden; and to examine whether coping reduces the effect of stressors on burden. Low income, rural residence, male sex, and number of functional deficits of the disabled child correlated significantly with higher caregiver burden, while spousal support correlated with lower burden. Seeking social support reduced the increased burden associated with greater functional impairments. Psychosocial interventions focused on evaluating and improving social support for caregivers may help families at high risk for caregiver distress, to minimize negative outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka cjw@med.ruh.ac.lk.
authors.forename: Champa J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Wijesinghe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Duke University, USA.
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayawardenapura, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Pushpa
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fonseka
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka.
authors.forename: Chandanie G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Hewage
authors.affiliation: Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, USA.
authors.forename: Truls
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Østbye
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013188:Sri Lanka; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Sri Lanka; caregiver burden; cerebral palsy; coping; social support