Abstract

FERNANDES, Cátia Priscila Lemos et al. Anxiety and needs of caregivers of disabled and non-disabled children. Rev. Enf. Ref. [online]. 2012, vol.serIII, n.6, pp.181-189. ISSN 0874-0283.  https://doi.org/10.12707/RIII11106.

Objectives: to compare the anxiety levels of caregivers of disabled children with those of caregivers of non-disabled children and to acquire the opinion of caregivers about the role of the nurse in assisting in children’s care. Background: caregivers of disabled children have responsibility in the management of chronic diseases of children. The provision of such care can be harmful to the physical health and psychological well-being of the caregiver (King et al., 1999). Methodology: in this quantitative study, the sample is non-probabilistic, consisting of 56 participants. The questionnaires used included assessment of the caregivers’ sociodemographic characteristics, sociodemographic characteristics of the children, level of ability of children with disabilities, families rating scale of and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Results: the caregivers of disabled children have higher levels of state and trait anxiety than caregivers of non-disabled children. Child’s age is a predictor of anxiety. Regarding the role of nurses, they can help caregivers of disabled children by showing affection in interaction with the child. Conclusion: the nurse is able to develop initiatives in the area of home care in order to support and inform caregivers to improve the caring of the children, relieving the caregiver burden. Thus, the challenge will be to reduce the caregiver burden.

Keywords : anxiety; caregivers; disabled children.

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