Parental Caregiving Burden, Depression, Social Support, and Life Satisfaction: A Multigroup Analysis of Social Support for Parents of Young Children with Brain Lesions

Abstract

The term social support refers to people’s interpersonal relationships and is a potentially powerful mediator for caregivers’ life satisfaction. This study examined the relationships between parental caregiver burden, depression, social support, and life satisfaction. It compared these relation variables between parents of preschool- and school-age children, as mediator effects of social support may differ across age ranges. Data were used from the Ministry of Health and Welfare of Korea’s research on support services and policies for people with brain lesions. Parental caregivers of preschool- ( n = 93) and school-age ( n = 91) children participated in this study. A multigroup analysis indicated a significant negative relationship between caregiving burden and depression with social support and parental life satisfaction and a significant positive relation for social support with life satisfaction for the overall group, preschool- and school age. Social support was a mediator for each group; however, the regression weight differed between preschool- and school-age children’s parents. The study confirms the importance of caregivers’ social support and suggests a need for family support strategies that account for children’s ages.