Browsing by Author "Kiunga, Catherine"

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    Psychosocial Effect on Caregivers of Children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in Kibra Sub County, Nairobi County, Kenya
    (Daystar University, School of Applied Human Sciences, 2023-10) Kiunga, Catherine
    This study sought to investigate the psychosocial effect on caregivers of children with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Kibra. The objectives were to investigate the financial burden of SCD on the caregivers, analyse the extent of disruption of family socialisation among families with SCD child patients, and assess the caregivers' psychological coping ability. The transactional theory of stress and resiliency model of family stress anchored the study. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was employed, where a semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 147 caregivers. The Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) was utilised to measure the psychological well-being of respondents. To analyse quantitative data, descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were conducted. Bivariate analysis was done through chi-square tests at a 95% confidence interval. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 24, was used in data analysis. Of the respondents, 58.5% had poor psychological well-being, 97.3% agreed that the treatment costs of SCD are very high, and 75.5% agreed that their marriage/relationship was strained. The study found a weak but significant correlation (r=0.195, p=0.019) between financial burden of SCD and respondents’ psychological well-being; a weak positive and significant correlation (r= 0.415, p=<0.01) between family socialisation’s disruption and respondents’ psychological well-being. The study concluded that the financial burden and disruption of family socialisation were high, while the coping ability of caregivers was poor. Policymakers ought to develop and implement policies that provide financial support for families that care for a child(ren) with SCD.