Caregivers’ Burden among Parents of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Introduction: Caregivers help a person in those actions which cannot be performed by an individual independently; a person’s personal needs, environmental barriers that hinders an individual’s abilities etc. This ultimately puts an increased burden on the caregiver. This study was conducted to determine the levels of caregivers’ burden among the parents of children with cerebral palsy. Material & Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 298 parents of children with cerebral palsy. Non-probability convenience sampling technique was used to collect data from the parents coming to the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, Islamabad. The parents of children with cerebral palsy who were having auditory, cognitive or visual impairment were excluded from this study. Demographic information form and Caregiver Burden Inventory were used for the data collection. The data was analysed through IBM SPSS version 21 and results were presented in the form of frequency, percentages and mean ± sd with p-value wherever needed. Results: the result of this study showed a greater need for respite and other services for caregivers of children with cerebral palsy. The overall Caregiver Burden Inventory score was 45.19 ± 11.9. Out of the total included participants, 163 (54.33%) participants sometimes needed relief, 116 (36.67%) needed frequent need for relief and other services while 19 (6.33%) of the included parents rarely needed relief and other services. Conclusion: Majority of the caregivers of children with cerebral palsy needed relief and other services (compromise the growth, physical and emotional health and social relationship) to manage caregivers’ burden.