Caregiver Burden and Mental Health Among Families of Children with Multiple Disabilities in Katsina State

This study examines caregiver burden and mental health among family members of children with multiple disabilities in Katsina State, North West Nigeria. Multiple disabilities, characterised by the co-occurrence of two or more severe disabling conditions, create extraordinary demands on caregiving families, including intensive physical care needs, communication challenges, and high medical and rehabilitation costs. Caregiver burden, encompassing the physical, emotional, social, and financial strain of providing care, has well-established associations with poor caregiver mental health and reduced quality of care provided to the child. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the study samples two hundred caregivers from families of children with multiple disabilities in Katsina metropolis and three rural local government areas. The Zarit Burden Interview and the General Health Questionnaire are used to measure caregiver burden and mental health respectively. Correlation analysis and multiple regression are employed to identify predictors of caregiver burden and examine its relationship with mental health. The study also examines how disability severity, access to respite services, social support, and caregiver gender moderate these relationships. Findings are expected to confirm high caregiver burden levels and significant rates of psychological distress, with rural caregivers and mothers bearing the greatest burden. Recommendations include establishing community-based respite care programmes in Katsina State and integrating caregiver mental health screening into disability service appointments. Keywords: caregiver burden, mental health, multiple disabilities, Katsina State, family caregiving.