Health-related quality of life in caregivers of children with and without neurodevelopmental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Background Family caregivers face health issues that affect their quality of life, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, which challenges people’s resilience resources. Methods This cross-sectional design study investigated the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of family caregivers of children with and without neurodevelopmental disorders (N1 = 129, N2 = 126), focusing on four domains: physical, psychological, social, and environmental. Also, we explored the differences between caregivers, considering the child’s comorbidities and disorder severity. Results Participants in group one had lower HRQOL than group two, especially in the social and psychological areas. In addition, as expected, caregivers of children with severe disorders had a more negative perception of HRQOL’s social domain than caregivers of children with mild conditions. Finally, there were differences between HRQOL depending on comorbidities in psychological, social and environmental domains. Conclusions Caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders (especially if the disorder is severe and there are comorbidities) are more vulnerable than other caregivers regarding HRQOL, which conveys the message that social support policies should pay more attention to them.