Mental health status among caregivers of under-five-year-old children admitted in Kilifi County Hospital, Kenya

The difficulties associated with caring for young children who have diarrhea infections can have a significant impact on the mental health of caregivers. The severity of this condition increases dramatically when healthcare and resources are scarce and caregivers have been found to endure high levels of physical and mental stress showing increase in psychological distress, anxiety and depressive symptoms. This study examined the mental health status of caregivers of children under the age five years who were admitted in Kilifi County Hospital due to diarrhea illnesses. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a hospital and structured questionnaires such as the GAD-7 for anxiety and the PHQ-9 for depression were used to survey 202 caregivers who were systematically sampled using the Fischer’s formula and consecutive sampling technique. The result demonstrated that Comparing caregivers of children with diarrhea disorders to those of other diseases showed a higher median depression score of 14.5 (IQR: 6-18) but there was no significant difference in anxiety scores between caregivers of children with diarrhea diseases (median: 10, IQR: 4-14) compared to those with other diseases (median: 7, IQR: 3-13) (p = 0.336), with an overall median of 7 (IQR: 3-13). There were no appreciable differences in stress levels between caregivers of children with diarrhea disorders (median: 40, IQR: 37-45) compared to those with other illnesses (median: 41, IQR: 34-47), with an overall median of 40 (IQR: 35-46) (p = 0.772). The study recommended the improvement of primary healthcare by promoting breast feeding and rotavirus vaccinations to lower the prevalence of diarrhea and use psychological help to treat high levels of caregiver depression and anxiety in OPD settings.