Peer-reviewed article
Psychological Issues Among Caregivers of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Scoping Review.
Agyapong-Opoku G, Eboreime E, Greenshaw AJ, Agyapong B ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This scoping review synthesizes 56 studies on psychological stress, anxiety, and depression among caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. The review found that caregivers face substantial psychological burden, with stress prevalence ranging from 7.9% to 94.6%, anxiety from 6.0% to 85.8%, and depression from 5.2% to 85.1% across studies. Factors associated with caregivers' psychological issues include the child's age, daily care demands, and the child's co-morbidities. The review concludes that caregivers need access to psychosocial support and social protection interventions to improve their well-being, which would indirectly benefit the children.
Key points
- Caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders experience high rates of psychological burden including stress, anxiety, and depression
- Stress prevalence ranges from 7.9% to 94.6%, anxiety from 6.0% to 85.8%, and depression from 5.2% to 85.1% across the included studies
- Risk factors for caregiver psychological issues include the child's age, daily stress from own needs and care demands, and co-morbidity in the child
- Substantial variation in prevalence estimates is due to use of different screening tools and inconsistent diagnostic classifications
- Expansion of psychosocial and social protection interventions for caregivers is recommended to improve their well-being and indirectly improve child outcomes
Limitations
This is a scoping review that synthesizes existing literature rather than primary research, so it cannot establish causation. The high variability in prevalence estimates due to different assessment tools and diagnostic criteria limits the ability to draw firm conclusions about actual prevalence rates across populations.
Abstract
Background: Caring for children with neurodevelopmental disorders can be challenging and is normally associated with a heightened risk of psychological challenges among caregivers. Objective: This scoping review aims to synthesize the existing literature on the prevalence and correlates of stress, anxiety, and depression among caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Methods: This scoping review was conducted following the methodological framework outlined by Arksey and O'Malley and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA-ScR) extension for scoping reviews. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL. Results: A total of 56 studies were included in this review. Factors associated with caregivers' psychological issues include the age of the child, daily stress from own needs and the child's care needs, and co-morbidity in the child. Articles utilized different screening tools and diverse diagnostic classifications to determine symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, leading to variations in prevalence estimates. The lowest prevalence of stress reported was 7.9%, while the highest reported caregiver moderate-to-severe stress was 94.6%. Similarly, the prevalence of anxiety and depression varied from 6.0% to 85.8% and from 5.2% to 85.1%, respectively. This substantial variability is likely attributable to the heterogeneity of assessment tools and inconsistencies in the use of classificatory terminology, such as "severe," "clinical range," and "high", which may limit the generalizability of the findings. Conclusions: Caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities experience an immense psychological burden. Expanding access to sustainable psychosocial and social protection interventions is a vital step toward improving their well-being. This will indirectly improve the overall outcomes for the children. Government and policymakers should prioritize the implementation of measures such as social support allocated to this cohort to enhance their quality of life and improve their overall well-being.