Disproportionately High Rates of Burnout Among Disabled Caregivers During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Burnout is exhaustion caused by exposure to chronic stress. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, people with disabilities experienced high levels of burnout due to discrimination, barriers to accessing resources, and lack of accommodations. Caregivers have also experienced high levels of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic.

While researchers have examined burnout among caregivers of disabled children, less research has focused on the experiences of disabled caregivers. We examined the association between caregiver disability and burnout during the pandemic.

We distributed an online survey to caregivers of children enrolled in socially vulnerable elementary and middle schools in San Diego County, California between September and December, 2022. Our survey included demographic questions, questions about pandemic experiences, and a continuous burnout measure. We analyzed survey data to test our hypothesis that caregivers with a disability experienced higher levels of burnout than their non-disabled counterparts during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. We used multivariable linear regression analysis adjusting for household income and caregiver education level.

Disabled caregivers self-reported higher levels of burnout than non-disabled caregivers (B = 0.72; p < 0.001) during the COVID-19 pandemic in bivariate and multivariable analyses. Caregivers with a higher household income (B = 0.04; p = 0.017) and more education (B = 0.13; p = 0.005) also reported higher levels of burnout.

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing difficulties faced by disabled caregivers who often struggle to balance the demands of caregiving with their available resources. Targeted programs and policies are needed to support disabled caregivers during health emergencies that exacerbate existing inequities in access to resources.