Differences in physical health between caregivers of children with and without disabilities: A systematic review and...

Caring for children with disabilities can impose additional burdens that negatively affect caregivers' physical health. Although this issue has been widely studied, findings remain inconsistent.

This study aimed to examine differences in physical health between caregivers of children with and without disabilities through a systematic review and meta-analysis. A secondary aim was to explore whether specific factors moderated these differences.

A systematic search was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. In the narrative synthesis, physical health differences between groups were manually compared. For the meta-analysis, outcomes were categorized as either Likert scale scores or odds ratios. Hedges' g was calculated for Likert-scale studies, while pooled odds ratios were computed for studies reporting odds ratios. Moderator variables included disability type, measurement type, parental age, and type of physical health outcome.

Twenty-eight studies were included, yielding 36 independent groups. Of these, 30 reported significantly poorer physical health among caregivers of children with disabilities. A random-effects model (n = 9, k = 12) revealed a significant pooled effect size (g = -.38, p = .003, 95 % CI [-.63, -.13]). Another model (n = 8, k = 11) showed a significant pooled odds ratio (OR = 1.30, 95 % CI [1.05, 1.60], p < .001). Type of physical health significantly moderated the association, with musculoskeletal outcomes showing stronger effects (Q(1) = 3.61, p = .04).

Caregivers of children with disabilities consistently exhibit poorer physical health. Future research should identify mechanisms contributing to this disparity.