The strain among caregivers of children with disabilities at the community-based rehabilitation centres in Kudat division of Sabah, Malaysia

The prevalence of children with disabilities (CWD) is increasing. CWD requires exceptional long-term attention, which often falls on the caregivers. Caring for a CWD affects caregivers in multiple ways, such as physical, social, personal, and financial aspects. Most of the CWD will be cared in Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) centres where the caregivers have to play a crucial role as they become partners in the respective service delivery. However, there is still insufficient information on the impact (strain) of a disabled child on the caregivers in the CBR centre in the Kudat division of Sabah, Malaysia specifically. Hence, this study aims to explore the strains among caregivers of CWD at the CBR centre in the Kudat. A cross-sectional study through a purposive sampling method was employed, involving 142 caregivers of CWD at the selected CBR centre. Four CBR centres were selected in this study, which were located in the Kudat division of Sabah. The Malay version of the Modified Caregiver Strain Index Questionnaire (M-CSI-M) was used in this study to obtain information about the caregiver's strain. Findings from this study revealed that most caregivers experienced moderate strain (72.5%). Some of the leading causes of their strain were upsetting CWD's behaviour (10.6%), financial strain (9.2%), and overwhelmed (9.2%). In addition, there were significant differences between caregiver strain and their level of education, income, and the types of their child's disabilities (p ≤ 0.05). The well-being of the caregivers may significantly impact the effectiveness of rehabilitation for CWD, as caregivers are vital interdisciplinary team members.