Burden of care and a sense of loneliness in caregivers of children with type 1 diabetes. a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Treatment of type 1 diabetes is a process involving not only sick children, but also their caregivers.

Aim: To assess the burden of care and sense of loneliness in caregivers of children with type 1 diabetes. Also, an analysis was conducted of the connection between sociodemographic factors characterizing caregivers and the clinical factors characterizing sick children and between the burden of care and the sense of loneliness.

Materials and methods: The study included 125 caregivers of children with type 1 diabetes. In order to collect the research data, the Caregiver Burden Scale and the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale were used.

Results: In the research group, the total result in the caregiving burden scale was 2.14, which remains within the average burden level. Caregivers showed the highest burden level in the General Strain Subscale. The analysis showed that mothers experience a greater burden of care than fathers in the General Strain Subscale and that caregivers of younger children are more burdened with care within the Isolation and Disappointment Subscales. Moderate high degree of loneliness was shown in 4.8% of caregivers. A higher burden of care for caregivers of children with type 1 diabetes is accompanied by a higher sense of loneliness.

Conclusions: The results of this study may help healthcare professionals plan a holistic, family-centered care program that will take into account factors that increase the burden of care: younger age of the affected child, motherhood, caregiver unemployment, feelings of loneliness, lower education, caregiver unemployment, blood glucose meter measurements, and frequent night-time blood glucose measurements.

Keywords: Burden of care; Caregiver; Child; Loneliness; Type 1 diabetes.