Caregiver Burden Among Parents of Children with Medical Complexity in Home-Based Care: The Role of Caregiver Rest and Family Factors
Miku Yamaguchi, Hisashi Nakaguchi, Kiyomi HaradaIntroduction:
This study aimed to investigate whether family functioning is independently associated with caregiver burden among parents caring for children with medical complexity (CMC) at home and to identify factors most strongly associated with higher burden.
Method:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted from January to November 2024 among parents of CMC in Japan. Caregiver burden was evaluated using the 8-item Japanese version of the Zarit Burden Interview (J-ZBI-8), and family functioning was measured using the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III (FACES III). Sociodemographic characteristics and caregiving-related variables were also collected. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore associations between caregiver burden and potential predictors.
Results:
Of 112 respondents, 95 were included in the final analysis after excluding incomplete responses. In the multivariate model, caregivers who reported adequate rest had significantly lower odds of experiencing higher caregiver burden. Conversely, family functioning was not significantly associated with caregiver burden after adjusting for covariates. The medical complexity score of the child was also not a significant predictor. The overall model demonstrated acceptable goodness of fit.
Conclusions:
Adequate rest may serve as a modifiable protective factor in reducing caregiver burden among parents of CMC receiving home-based care. Although this study examined the independent contribution of family functioning, caregiver-level factors—particularly adequate rest—revealed stronger associations with burden. These findings suggest that interventions targeting caregiver recovery and respite may be more effective than those focusing solely on family functioning.