Comparison of caregiver burden and burnout levels in caregivers of individuals with cerebral palsy and stroke in similar functional conditions

The aim of this study is to compare the caregiver burden and burnout levels of caregivers of individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) and stroke who had similar functional independence levels, and to examine whether caregiver outcomes differed between these two caregiving contexts. The study included a total of 54 caregivers (age: 50.08 ± 10.80 years; 81.5% female) providing care to individuals with CP (51.9%) and stroke (48.1%) who had similar functional independence levels based on FIM/WeeFIM scores. Functional independence levels of individuals with CP and stroke were assessed using the Pediatric Functional Independence Measure (WeeFIM) and Functional Independence Measure (FIM), respectively, while caregiver burden and burnout levels were assessed using the Caregiver Burden Scale and the Burnout Measure Short Version (BMS), respectively. Care recipients with FIM/WeeFIM scores between 91 and 126, representing minimal assistance to modified independence in daily living activities, were included. Group comparisons, correlation analyses, and effect size calculations were performed, and the statistical significance level was accepted as p < 0.05. No significant difference was found in burnout levels between caregivers of individuals with cerebral palsy and those caring for individuals with stroke with similar functional independence levels ( p > 0.05). Caregiver burden was significantly higher in caregivers of stroke patients compared to those of individuals with cerebral palsy despite comparable functional independence levels of the care recipients ( p < 0.001). When all caregivers were considered together, a moderate, positive, and significant relationship was found between burnout and caregiver burden ( p < 0.001). This relationship was strong and significant only in caregivers of individuals with cerebral palsy ( p < 0.001), while it was not significant in caregivers of stroke patients ( p = 0.278). However, the difference between the strength of these correlations was not statistically significant according to Fisher’s r-to-z comparison ( p = 0.061). Caregivers of stroke patients reported a greater caregiving burden than caregivers of individuals with cerebral palsy, despite comparable functional independence levels (FIM/WeeFIM scores) of the care recipients. Burnout levels were similar between groups and were observed in caregivers despite the relatively high functional independence of care recipients. A significant association between caregiver burden and burnout was observed in the overall sample and among caregivers of individuals with cerebral palsy. However, the difference in the strength of this association between groups was not statistically significant. These findings suggest that caregiver burden and burnout may be influenced by multiple factors beyond functional independence, including caregiver and care-recipient characteristics. Future studies incorporating multivariable analyses are needed to clarify the contribution of these factors to caregiver burden and burnout.