Assessment of Psychological Well-Being and Coping Strategies among Family Caregivers of Children with Down syndrome

Abstract

Background: Family caregivers of children with Down Syndrome are frequently unstable and forego their psychological well-being, suffer additional economic difficulties, ill health and cope ineffectively than families without disabilities. Aim: This study aimed to assess psychological wellbeing and coping strategies among family caregivers of children with Down Syndrome. Design: A descriptive research design was utilized in this study. Setting: This study was carried out in the Genes Clinics of Down Syndrome in the specialized clinics of the university pediatric hospital affiliated to Ain Shams University Hospitals. Subjects: A sample of 60 family caregivers of children with Down Syndrome. The study tools were: 1) Interviewing Questionnaire, 2) Brief-COPE inventory (Carver, 1997) and 3) Ryff's Psychological well-being scale (1989). The results: The study showed that family caregivers of children with Down Syndrome depended mainly on emotion-focused coping strategies in managing burden of child caregiving and the most frequent used emotion focused coping strategies were religion, acceptance and venting while the most frequent used problem-focused coping strategy was use of instrumental support. Concerning to psychological well-being, more than half of family caregivers of children with Down Syndrome had psychological well-being less than usual. Conclusions: There was a negative statistically significant correlation between psychological wellbeing and all types of emotion-focused coping strategies except for humor, acceptance and religion. Meanwhile, there was a positive statistically significant correlation between level of psychological well-being and all subscales of problem-focused coping strategies. Recommendations: Future research to assess challenges encountered by siblings of Down Syndrome children and to apply supportive intervention that promotes positive relationships and attitudes as well as Establishment of counseling clinics for parents and siblings to improve their psychological well-being and coping strategies.