Abstract:
Caregiver role strain occurs when an individual caring a child with disability exceeds his/her resources and ability to cope with the demands of the caregiving. Caregivers of children with disabilities repeatedly have feelings of discrimination, stigma and exclusion in many aspects of live. The study aimed to assess factors contributing to role strain among caregivers of children with extreme disabilities at Thika level 5 hospital Occupational Care Center, Kenya. The study was mixed study design that utilized a case control and a phenomenological study design. A sample size of 136 caregivers of children with extreme disability were selected using a consecutive sampling technique. Semi-Structured questionnaire and focused group discussion guide was used to collect data. Data analysis was done using descriptive and inferential analysis by use of statistical package of social sciences (SPSS) version 26 software. Inferential statistics was done using binary and multivariate logistic regression to determine relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Multivariable analysis revealed that caregivers who were single (AOR =2.16, 95% CI:1.01 – 4.63, p =0.048), caregivers who were contented with the stigma labelled against them in the society (AOR =2.59, 95% CI:1.20 – 5.57, p=0.015), those who had minimal financial support (AOR =0.39, 95% CI: 0.17 – 0.87, p =0.002), those who asserted that poverty was observed in the standard of the housing, number of meals eaten per day and the quantity of food served (AOR =2.28, 95% CI:1.01 – 5.16, p =0.048) and those who agreed that there is high cost of materials such as wheelchairs and food (AOR =0.26, 95%CI:0.11 – 0.63, p =0.003) were independent factors associated with role strain. Caregivers of children with disability have a higher role strain which has been associated with marital status, content with stigma, minimal financial support, poverty in household, high cost of materials such as wheelchair and number of meals per day. Thus, there is need for the government in partnership with non –state actors to ensure the provision of support at centers that offer counseling services to individuals, groups or families who have children with disabilities. The government needs to introduce a grant for primary caregivers and encourage them to be self-employed from home
