Factors Contributing to Psychological Ill-Effects and Resilience of Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disabilities During a Nation-wide Lockdown During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Lim, Tammy S. H.; Tan, Mae Yue; Ramkumar, Aishworiya; Kang, Ying Qi; Koh, Magdalena Yvonne; Shen, Liang; Chong, Shang Chee

We evaluated factors affecting psychological ill-effects and resilience of caregivers of children with developmental disabilities during the coronavirus pandemic. Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21) and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 25-item were administered. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with psychological ill-effects and resilience. DASS-21 depression, anxiety and stress scores were high; these were associated with difficulties with infection control measures, autism diagnosis, and need for early intervention services. For caregivers of children with ASD, our DASS-21 scores were significantly higher than non-pandemic scores locally and in other Asian sites. Resilience scores correlated inversely with DASS-21 scores. Targeted support to selected at-risk caregivers and improving resilience can help their coping.