Family disability, poverty and parenting stress: Analysis of a cross-sectional study in Kenya

• Published in: African journal of disability 2021, Vol.10, p.e1-e8
• Main Authors: Hunt, Xanthe, Laurenzi, Christina, Skeen, Sarah, Swartz, Leslie, Sundin, Phillip, Weiss, Robert E., Tomlinson, Mark
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Caregiver burden; Caregivers; Caregiving; Child development; child rearing; Children & youth; Children with disabilities; Cross-sectional studies; Development programs; Disability; disabled children; Families & family life; Family income; Households; Original Research; parent child relationship; Parental stress; parenting stress; Parents & parenting; People with disabilities; Poverty; Recruitment; Social capital; Socioeconomic factors; Socioeconomic status; Standard of living
• ISSN: 2223-9170; 2226-7220
• DOI: 10.4102/ajod.v10i0.744

Background: Households with a disabled member, be they a caregiver or a child, are poorer than households not affected by disability. Poverty, caregiving as a person with a disability and being the caregiver of a child with a disability can lead to increased parenting stress. Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine whether parenting stress experienced by caregivers in a household with a disabled member is greater when the disabled member is the caregiver, or the child, and how much of these respective relationships is explained by poverty. Method: We collected cross-sectional data using a demographic survey, the Washington Group Questions on adult disability, the 10 Questions on child disability and the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, from 465 caregivers enrolled in a non-governmental child development programme in Kenya. Results: Households with a disabled member were poorer than households without a disabled member. Parenting stress of disabled caregivers was higher than parenting stress of non-disabled caregivers; however, this relationship disappeared when socio-economic status was controlled for. Caregivers of disabled children were more stressed than caregivers of non-disabled children, and this effect was not explained by differences in socio-economic status. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of developing a comprehensive understanding of the stressors facing households with a disabled member, particularly if that member is a child, so that supportive interventions can adequately cater to the needs of caregivers, and their children, in the context of poverty.