Depression, Anxiety, and Stress in Primary Caregivers of Children with Invisible Disabilities in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Children with invisible disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, speech impairments, and learning difficulties require special support and a diligent caregiving environment to thrive. Primary caregivers have to take on additional roles to provide extra support for children with invisible disabilities while accommodating their professional and personal lives through the process. This research analyzed depression, anxiety, and stress between primary caregivers of children with invisible disabilities and primary caregivers of typically-developing children in Sri Lanka. Data was gathered through an online survey. The sample consisted of 75 primary caregivers between the ages of 23 years to 56 years, which included 38 primary caregivers of children with invisible disabilities and 37 primary caregivers of typicallydeveloping children. The DASS-21 (Lovibond and Lovibond, 1995) was administered to measure depression, anxiety, and stress. The Independent sample t-test was used to compare the mean difference between the two groups of caregivers. The findings did not reveal a significant difference in the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress between primary caregivers of children with invisible disabilities and primary caregivers of typicallydeveloping children. However, regression analysis revealed that parental age had a significant impact on the levels of anxiety among caregivers of children with invisible disabilities. This implies that experience gained with age may reduce anxiety in primary caregivers of children with invisible disabilities. Keywords: Caregivers; Children; Disabilities; Depression; Anxiety; Stress