The Prevalence of Depression among Family Caregivers of Children with Intellectual Disability in a Rural Setting in Kenya

Caregivers of children with intellectual disability have a great responsibility that may be stressful. The psychological well-being of the care giver may affect the quality of care given to children with intellectual disability. Objective . The objective of the study was to determine the risk of depression in caregivers of children with intellectual disability. Setting . The study was conducted at Gachie Catholic Parish, Archdiocese of Nairobi (Kenya). Design. Cross sectional, descriptive study. Method . The study was conducted among 114 caregivers registered at the Gachie Parish program (in Kenya) for the intellectual disabled children. A researcher-designed social demographic questionnaire and the Beck depression inventory were administered to those that met the inclusion criteria. Results . Seventy-nine percent (79%) of the caregivers were at risk of clinical depression. Conclusion . Majority of the caregivers of children with intellectual disability were at risk of developing clinical depression.