Predictors of Caregiver Burden among Mothers of Children with Chronic Conditions
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Methods
2.1. Study Design and Data Collection
2.2. Sample
2.3. Measures
- (1)
- Self-Efficacy Scale [22]: This scale is adapted from a scale pertaining to diabetes and measures self-efficacy using nine questions on a five-point Likert scale. Questions were modified to be usable with a variety of chronic illnesses. We have used this adapted version of the scale in previous studies [23,24]. The possible range of scores was 5–45, with higher scores indicating greater self-efficacy. This scale was originally developed for adolescents (ages 10–16 years).
- (2)
- The STARx (Self-management and Transition to Adulthood with Rx = therapy) Survey [25]: This 18-question self-reported scale measures knowledge and self-management skills needed for children to successfully transition from pediatric to adult care. Individual items were scored on a five-point Likert scale. The possible range of scores was 0–90, with higher scores indicating greater transition readiness. The survey was developed with pilot testing in youth with chronic conditions (ages 8–25 years) [25].
2.4. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
4. Discussion
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Child Characteristics | n | % |
---|---|---|
Sex | ||
Male | 79 | 52.7 |
Female | 71 | 47.3 |
Race | ||
White | 117 | 78.0 |
Non-white | 33 | 22.0 |
Insurance | ||
Private | 99 | 66.0 |
Public | 44 | 29.3 |
No insurance | 7 | 4.7 |
Primary Diagnosis | ||
Cerebral palsy | 26 | 17.3 |
Diabetes | 21 | 14.0 |
Gastrointestinal diseases | 13 | 8.7 |
Heart diseases | 12 | 8.0 |
Sickle cell anemia | 12 | 8.0 |
Cancer | 9 | 6.0 |
Kidney disease | 9 | 6.0 |
Other physical disability | 9 | 6.0 |
Down syndrome | 7 | 4.7 |
Neurological conditions | 7 | 4.7 |
Craniofacial anomalies | 6 | 4.0 |
Spina bifida | 5 | 3.3 |
Lung diseases | 5 | 3.3 |
Other genetic conditions | 4 | 2.7 |
Bleeding disorders | 3 | 2.0 |
Skin diseases | 2 | 1.3 |
Caregiver (mothers’) Characteristics | ||
Race | ||
White | 126 | 84.0 |
Non -white | 24 | 16.0 |
Education | ||
Did not complete high school | 3 | 2.0 |
High school or GED | 8 | 5.3 |
Some college | 31 | 20.7 |
Completed college | 67 | 44.7 |
Some graduate school | 5 | 3.3 |
Completed graduate school | 36 | 24.0 |
Independent Variables | Unstandardized Coefficients | Standardized Coefficients | t | Sig. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
B | Std. Error | Beta | ||||
Control variables | White race | 5.761 | 3.171 | 0.145 | 1.817 | 0.071 |
Physical disability | 5.426 | 3.192 | 0.148 | 1.700 | 0.091 | |
Age | 0.399 | 0.523 | 0.062 | 0.762 | 0.447 | |
Female gender | 0.885 | 2.596 | 0.027 | 0.341 | 0.734 | |
Disease-related characteristics | Total number of medicines or injections per week | 0.114 | 0.057 | 0.161 | 2.005 | 0.047 |
ADHD Diagnosis | 8.059 | 2.991 | 0.216 | 2.695 | 0.008 | |
Percent of life with disease | −1.405 | 4.611 | −0.026 | −0.305 | 0.761 |
Independent Variables | Unstandardized Coefficients | Standardized Coefficients | t | Sig. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
B | Std. Error | Beta | ||||
Control variables | White race | 6.999 | 3.602 | 0.178 | 1.943 | 0.055 |
Physical disability | 4.191 | 3.401 | 0.115 | 1.233 | 0.22 | |
Age | 0.259 | 0.611 | 0.04 | 0.424 | 0.672 | |
Female gender | 2.12 | 3.022 | 0.064 | 0.701 | 0.485 | |
Healthcare utilization | Visits to primary care provider (PCP) in typical year | 4.109 | 1.822 | 0.209 | 2.256 | 0.026 |
Emergency room (ER) visits past year | 6.883 | 3.281 | 0.197 | 2.098 | 0.038 |
Independent Variables | Unstandardized Coefficients | Standardized Coefficients | t | Sig. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
B | Std. Error | Beta | ||||
Control variables | White race | 6.789 | 3.733 | 0.162 | 1.819 | 0.072 |
Physical disability | 5.537 | 4.038 | 0.13 | 1.371 | 0.173 | |
Age | 0.66 | 0.624 | 0.097 | 1.058 | 0.292 | |
Female gender | 1.114 | 3.166 | 0.032 | 0.352 | 0.725 | |
Self-management skills | Self-efficacy | −0.19 | 0.088 | −0.246 | −2.155 | 0.033 |
Transition readiness | 0.013 | 0.167 | 0.01 | 0.08 | 0.936 |
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Javalkar, K.; Rak, E.; Phillips, A.; Haberman, C.; Ferris, M.; Van Tilburg, M. Predictors of Caregiver Burden among Mothers of Children with Chronic Conditions. Children 2017, 4, 39. https://doi.org/10.3390/children4050039
Javalkar K, Rak E, Phillips A, Haberman C, Ferris M, Van Tilburg M. Predictors of Caregiver Burden among Mothers of Children with Chronic Conditions. Children. 2017; 4(5):39. https://doi.org/10.3390/children4050039
Chicago/Turabian StyleJavalkar, Karina, Eniko Rak, Alexandra Phillips, Cara Haberman, Maria Ferris, and Miranda Van Tilburg. 2017. "Predictors of Caregiver Burden among Mothers of Children with Chronic Conditions" Children 4, no. 5: 39. https://doi.org/10.3390/children4050039