Quality of life of caregivers of children with disabilities

Abstract

Introduction: Caregivers are important in the lives of children with disabilities and take
center stage at home, as informal caregivers, an activity assumed by the child's family
and especially the mother. Objective: to analyze the quality of life of caregivers of
children with disabilities and find relationships with demographic aspects. Materials and
methods: Descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional study on 55 caregivers of children
with disabilities, treated at the Bastión Popular Type C Health Center in Guayaquil, using
the WHOQOL-BREF scale, which assesses quality of life. The database was organized
in an MS Excel® document, and demographic variables were correlated with the qualityof-life rating using the SPSS® version 21 program. Results: The quality of life was good
in 52.7% of the caregivers, regular in 45.5% and poor in 1.8%. No significant correlations
were determined. Conclusion: The quality of life of caregivers of children with
disabilities is generally regular and good, although it may reflect resignation or resilience.
The WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire is a useful and versatile tool, although the
transcription of the results can be complicated for those who are not familiar with it.