Abstract
Caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders play a central role during the rehabilitation and education processes, but they have an increasing risk of psychosocial problems even if the literature is not so agreed upon the specific and predisposing factors to that. The aim of this study was to examine possibly differences of burden levels in an Italian sample of principal caregivers of children with different kinds of neurodevelopmental disorders and to investigate the possible links between some clinical and sociodemographic variables and the levels of caregiver’s burden. 105 caregivers of school-aged children with neurodevelopmental disorders were included in the study and completed three online questionnaires (General Questionnaire, Caregiver Burden Inventory, Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale). Results highlighted that about the half of caregivers show from moderate to high levels of stress, but parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Intellectual Disability show greater difficulties than parents of children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Language and/or Learning Disorder, and Developmental Coordination Disorder. Moreover, it was evident a negative correlation between the burden levels and the age of children, but also a direct correlation between the burden levels and the weekly hours of rehabilitation. These findings show that severity of caregiver’s burden is dependent by the type of neurodevelopmental disorder and suggest that an ecological and family-centred approach is necessary to guarantee the life health developmental course of these children.
Highlights
Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of conditions with early onset in life of affected individuals, characterized by developmental deficits and behavioural impairments in several areas of functioning of daily life [1]
The research was conducted on a sample of 105 voluntary caregivers (89 mothers; 15 fathers; 1 other) related to consecutively attending outpatients with a previously established primary diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders according to DSM-5 criteria
The study findings showed a significant level of perceived burden in parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders in multiple aspects of their lifestyle, relationships, and activities
Summary
Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of conditions with early onset in life of affected individuals, characterized by developmental deficits and behavioural impairments in several areas of functioning of daily life (personal, social, academic, and occupational domains) [1]. Within the section of neurodevelopmental disorders of DSM-5, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorders, communication disorders, specific learning disorders, attentiondeficit hyperactive disorders and motor disorders were included [2] Despite this precise categorization, it is known by scientific literature that the complexity and heterogeneity of neurodevelopmental disorders is given both by the intertwining of the components of development (perceptual, motor, cognitive, linguistic, social, and emotional features) and by the often present numerous comorbidities, and these factors can make extremely difficult the adaptation to the environment with substantial limitations in autonomy and restriction of daily activities, requiring continuous assistance [3,4,5]. Caregivers have an increasing risk of psychosocial problems even if the literature is not so agreed upon the specific and predisposing factors to that [4,8,9,10,11]
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