The state of evidence on the health outcomes and support needs of family caregivers of children with Cerebral Palsy in Sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review.

Abstract

In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), caregivers of children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) face multidimensional challenges. However, there is a lack of comprehensive review of the available research on the health outcomes and support needs of family caregivers of children with CP.This scoping review aimed to identify the breadth and nature of research evidence on the health outcomes and support needs of family caregivers of children with CP in SSA. This scoping review was conducted following the JBI methodology. Original studies written in English were included. Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, Global Health, Cochrane, East African Medical Journal, and Africa Online Journals were searched. Data was analyzed descriptively. A total of 34 research articles were included, of which 64.7% (<i>n</i> = 22) were conducted in Ghana and 47% (<i>n</i> = 16) were qualitative studies. Caregivers had physical and psychological morbidities with financial, emotional, informational, and physical support needs. Available research evidence indicated that caregiving contributed to negative health outcomes, with financial support being a pressing need. Future research should investigate the positive outcomes and inherent resources available to family caregivers of children with CP in SSA to inform the development of strength-based interventions.