Evaluation of the mental health profile of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy in a low-resourced setting: development, translation and validation of patient-reported outcome measures
type: CreativeWork
description: Background & aims: Several systematic reviews have demonstrated that caring for a child with functional limitations leads to poor caregiver mental health outcomes. For instance, depression, anxiety and caregiver burden are endemic in informal (unpaid) caregivers of children with cerebral palsy (CP), a common paediatric disability. However, caregivers who receive an adequate amount of social support are likely to better adjust to the caregiving role. Given the increasing move towards family-centred care and evidence-based care, there is a need to evaluate caregivers’ mental health and to develop and implement context-specific caregiver well-being programs. The valid measurement of the impact of these programs is dependent on the availability of psychometrically robust patient-reported outcomes (PROMs). Unfortunately, most available PROMs have been developed in high-income settings, and their applicability in low-resource settings such as Zimbabwe may be questionable. The present study thus aimed to develop a context-specific caregiver strain outcome, to adapt, translate, and validate a social support outcome measure and finally to profile the mental health of caregivers of children with CP residing in Zimbabwe. Methods: The Zimbabwean Caregiver Challenges Scale (ZCCS) was developed through the amalgamation of findings from a systematic review, caregivers’ interviews and two rounds of content validation by a panel of experts. A systematic review was then undertaken to appraise the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The MSPSS was then adapted, translated into Shona, a Zimbabwean native language, and validated. In the final phase, further validation of the ZCCS and the MSPSS was done, and structural equation modelling was used to profile the mental health profile of caregivers. Results: The ZCCS yielded four factors which were ; physical & economic burden, concerns for the child, family relations and community part…
abstract: Background & aims: Several systematic reviews have demonstrated that caring for a child with functional limitations leads to poor caregiver mental health outcomes. For instance, depression, anxiety and caregiver burden are endemic in informal (unpaid) caregivers of children with cerebral palsy (CP), a common paediatric disability. However, caregivers who receive an adequate amount of social support are likely to better adjust to the caregiving role. Given the increasing move towards family-centred care and evidence-based care, there is a need to evaluate caregivers’ mental health and to develop and implement context-specific caregiver well-being programs. The valid measurement of the impact of these programs is dependent on the availability of psychometrically robust patient-reported outcomes (PROMs). Unfortunately, most available PROMs have been developed in high-income settings, and their applicability in low-resource settings such as Zimbabwe may be questionable. The present study thus aimed to develop a context-specific caregiver strain outcome, to adapt, translate, and validate a social support outcome measure and finally to profile the mental health of caregivers of children with CP residing in Zimbabwe. Methods: The Zimbabwean Caregiver Challenges Scale (ZCCS) was developed through the amalgamation of findings from a systematic review, caregivers’ interviews and two rounds of content validation by a panel of experts. A systematic review was then undertaken to appraise the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The MSPSS was then adapted, translated into Shona, a Zimbabwean native language, and validated. In the final phase, further validation of the ZCCS and the MSPSS was done, and structural equation modelling was used to profile the mental health profile of caregivers. Results: The ZCCS yielded four factors which were ; physical & economic burden, concerns for the child, family relations and community part…
author: Dambi, Jermaine Matewu
keywords: caregiver burden, social support, reliability, validity, Zimbabwe, cerebral palsy, mental health
date published: 2018
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:23:24Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30097