Caregiver burden and related factors in caregivers of children with autism

Objective To investigate the level of caregiver burden of primary caregivers of children with autism, and explore the factors related to caregiver burden. Methods 177 caregivers of children with autism were tested with caregiver burden inventory(CBI)and childhood autism rating scale(CARS). A cross-sectional and multisite study design was used. Results The scores of caregiver burden was (57.50±14.91), and time-dependence burden and developmental burden were the most serious domains.Caregiver burden was affected by caregiver's age, caregiver's religious beliefs, caregiver's marital status, caregiver employment status and education degree and children's scores of CARS and degree of CARS(-0.151≤r≤0.282, P<0.05). Conclusion The data suggest that community care workers should pay attention to caregivers of children with autism and give them personalized health education and intervention according to the demographic characteristics of the caregivers and the severity of children disease. Key words: Autism; Children; Caregivers; Caregiver burden