Published online Jun 9, 2023. doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v12.i3.125
Peer-review started: January 28, 2023
First decision: February 20, 2023
Revised: January 31, 2023
Accepted: March 31, 2023
Article in press: March 31, 2023
Published online: June 9, 2023
Processing time: 130 Days and 16.5 Hours
Thalassemia is highly prevalent in Indian Subcontinent with prevalence rates varying from 2%–5%. These children and their caregivers experience multiple emotional and psychological problems stemming from the poor physical health of the child and resultant recurrent hospitalisations.
Psychiatric co-morbidities in these children and their caregivers have remained unexplored resulting in high emotional and psychological suffering. Assessing the same would result in the recognition of high psychiatric co-morbidities faced by this subset leading to the holistic care of these patients.
Current study aimed to screen the psychosocial problems and assessment of psychiatric morbidities among thalassaemic children and their caretakers, along with an assessment of caregiver burden in them. The objectives of the study were all met implicating the high prevalence of psychiatric co-morbidities faced by these patients.
In this observational cross-sectional study, children with transfusion-dependent thalassemia were included and were assessed for psychiatric morbidity and global functioning. Their parents were assessed for the psychiatric morbidity and caregiver burden faced by them. All the parents completed two different questionnaires to assess their knowledge about the psycho-social functioning [using Pediatric Symptom Checklist-35 (PSC-35)] of their children and the level of the burden faced by them by Caregiver Burden Scale (CBS).
A total of 46 children (28 boys and 18 girls) with transfusion-dependent thalassemia with a mean age of 8.83 ± 2.70 years and 46 parents (12 fathers and 34 mothers) were included in this study. More than 32 children had some psychosocial problems on screening by PSC-35. On assessment by CBS moderate caregiver burden was perceived in domains of general strain, isolation, disappointment, emotional involvement, and environment. A total of 65.3% of children and 62.7% of parents were diagnosed with psychiatric problems.
The study implicated a high burden of psychiatric disorders like generalized anxiety disorder, elimination disorder, and dysthymic disorder among children. The caregivers were also revealed to be suffering from an entire spectrum of psychiatric disorders ranging from dysthymic disorders to substance addictions.
More such research should be conducted with a larger sample size to better gauge the extent of psychiatric co-morbidities among these patients. There is a need to bring about a paradigm shift in the healthcare protocols to ensure holistic care of these patients and their caregivers.