508-P: Correlations between Burden and Quality of Life for Caregivers of Children Living with Type 1 Diabetes Free

Providing continuous care to a child living with type 1 diabetes impacts not only the child’s well-being, but also a caregiver’s quality of life and overall feelings of burden from this omnipresent disease. The hypervigilance required for diabetes management can cause declines in a caregiver’s physical, emotional, and social health. Therefore, it is imperative that practitioners understand the impact of diabetes management on caregivers to develop and implement appropriate family-centered interventions. The purpose of this descriptive, cross-sectional survey was to examine the relationships between caregiver burden and quality of life of caregivers of children living with type 1 diabetes. Caregivers (n=212) who had provided care to a child with type 1 diabetes for a minimum of six months completed an electronic survey that included demographic information, the Zarit Burden Interview Scale, and the WHOQoL-BREF. Most of the respondents were female (98%), aged 36-45 years (56%), married (82%), and had completed at least some college (82%). Caregiver burden was reported by all respondents, with the majority reporting moderate to severe burden (68%). One-way ANOVA analysis indicated a significant weak, negative correlation between caregiver burden and quality of life domains, including physical health (r = 0.360, p<0.001), psychological health (r = 0.460, p<0.001), social relationships (r = 0.394, p<0.001), and environment (r = 0.462, p<0.001). It is not surprising that respondents who reported increased caregiver burden also reported lower quality of life, indicating that managing a chronic condition may lead to increased stress and declined overall health and well-being. As it is known that improved quality of life is related to improved blood glucose control and overall health, interprofessional endocrinology healthcare teams are encouraged to provide family-centered approaches to care to address both the child and caregiver concerns related to diabetes management.