Family caregiving in a pediatric renal transplant population

Twenty parents (3 fathers and 17 mothers) engaged in caring for a child 2 to 14 months after renal transplant were studied to: (a) determine the kinds of caregiving tasks required and how difficult they are; and (b) explore the relationships among caregiver characteristics, caregiving burden, appraisal, and mood state. Increased housework, errands, providing emotional support, transportation, and monitoring/reporting symptoms were the most demanding tasks; housework, emotional support, and managing behavior problems were the most difficult. Overall, caregiving was perceived as moderately demanding and not particularly difficult, and the caregiving situation was not appraised as being very threatening. Mood dysfunction scores were quite low, but were associated with perceptions of caregiving difficulty. Caregiving demands and difficulty were greater with adolescent children, when the parent had other dependents to care for, and when the parent was working. This suggests the need for careful assessment of the family environment to identify parents at risk of caregiving burden.