Children’s Special Health Care Needs and Caregivers’ Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: Caregivers of children with special health care needs (SHCN) report worse self-rated health when compared with caregivers of children without SHCN and have experienced significant stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to determine whether COVID-19 pandemic-era declines in well-being among caregivers of children with SHCN were steeper than among caregivers of children without SHCN. Methods: We used 2020 to 2021 (pandemic-era, n ¼ 89,560) and 2018 to 2019 (pre-pandemic, n ¼ 57,927) data from the National Survey of Children’s Health. Caregiver-reported physical and mental health outcomes were analyzed using multivariable ordinal logistic regression. Results: The pandemic era was associated with 26% higher odds of reporting worse mental health among caregivers of children with SHCN (95% confidence interval [CI]: 116%, 138%), and 20% higher odds of reporting worse mental health among caregivers of children without SHCN (95% CI: 115%, 126%). The magnitudes of these changes were not significantly different from one another (P ¼ .341). Conclusions: Although caregivers of children with SHCN faced significant burdens and increased stress during the pandemic, decline in self-rated mental health among this group was similar to the trend seen among caregivers of children without SHCN. (J Am Board Fam Med 2023;36:731–738.).