Date Presented 3/30/2017
Perceived social support of caregivers of a child with special needs was analyzed through use of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey. Results indicate that education level, employment status, marital status, and location of residence impact social support, broadening the scope of practice in occupational therapy.
Primary Author and Speaker: Sarah Polito
Additional Authors and Speakers: Kerri Golden
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to better understand what factors impact the social support of caregivers of a child with special needs. Occupational therapy practitioners should appreciate what factors may cause a caregiver to feel more or less social support in order to provide the best care and treatment of the family. Previous research demonstrated that caregivers of a family member believed social support was an “essential support” that allowed them to continue in their role as caregiver (Donovan & Corcoran, 2010, p. 592). Essential support was defined by Donovan and Corcoran (2010) as engagement with “family, friends, coworkers, and paid staff” and interactions that provided benefit to both the caregiver and the care receiver. By determining what directly impacts social support, practitioners can provide care more specifically and help provide caregivers with that essential support. The research questions were, What specific demographic factors have the most impact on perceived social supports? Is there a type of social support, based on the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey, that caregivers of a child with special needs lack the most (or least)?
DESIGN AND METHOD: This study is exploratory, nonexperimental, cross-sectional, and quantitative. Inclusion criteria were parent or caregiver of a child with special needs receiving services through the county-based early intervention (EI) program. Surveys were distributed by the EI staff to each family encountered over a period of 6 wk. Of the 100 surveys distributed, 80 were returned. The MOS Social Support 19-item Survey was used asking participants to rate on a five-point scale how much social support they perceived to have under four categories: emotional/informational, tangible, affectionate, and positive social interaction. Demographic questions were generated by the researcher that included age of caregiver, age of child, relationship to child, education of caregiver, location of residence, employment status, and marital status. All surveys were collected, demographics were coded, and survey questions were entered into Microsoft Excel. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were completed including mean scores, analyses of variance (ANOVA), and t tests.
RESULTS: Employment status (p = .0052) and marital status (p = .0000) both showed a significant relationship with overall social support scores through use of a t test. Highest level of education (p = .0000) and location of residence (p = .0271) were both found to be significant in relation to overall social support score through use of an ANOVA. Rural living versus urban living showed a significant difference with overall social support score through use of a t test (p = .0364). Through descriptive statistics, it was determined that the lowest social support score was positive social interactions, which had a mean score of 3.7 on a five-point Likert scale. The highest social support score was tangible support, which had a mean score of 4.2. These findings indicate that education, employment, location of residence, and marital status are factors that impact overall social support. In addition, positive social interactions are impacted the most for caregivers of a child with special needs, while tangible support is impacted the least.
CONCLUSION: The evidence provides a foundation for therapists to understand what factors will have the greatest impact on caregivers so therapists can address them accordingly. Therefore, a direct focus can be placed on caregivers and support of their needs. This study demonstrates the way occupational therapists provide care beyond the direct treatment plan. Occupational therapy is science driven and evidence based, and this research continues to achieve that vision while also meeting society’s occupational needs by better caring for an important population, caregivers.
References
Churchill, S. S., Villareale, N. L., Monaghan, T. A., Sharp, V. L., & Kieckhefer, G. M. (2010). Parents of children with special health care needs who have better coping skills have fewer depressive symptoms. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 14, 47–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-008-0435-0
Corcoran, M. A., & Gitlin, L. N. (1992). Dementia management: An occupational therapy home-based intervention for caregivers. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 46, 801–808. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.46.9.801
Donovan, M. L., & Corcoran, M. A. (2010). Description of dementia caregiver uplifts and implications for occupational therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64, 590–595. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2010.09064
Sherbourne, C. D., & Stewart, A. L. (1991). The MOS Social Support Survey. Social Science and Medicine, 32, 705–714. https://doi.org/10.1016/0277-9536(91)90150-B
