The effect of the Hambisela programme on stress levels and quality of life of primary caregivers of children with cerebral palsy: A pilot study.
Tamryn van Aswegen, Hellen Myezwa, Joanne Potterton and 1 others
PMID 30863797WHAT IT FOUND
Caregiver stress and total quality of life did not significantly change after Hambisela.
Daily activities became more stressful. This underpowered pilot cannot show whether the programme helps.
Key findings
01The Hambisela programme did not significantly reduce caregiver Total Stress Score.
02Caregiver total quality of life did not significantly improve, and the Daily Activities subscale scored lower after the programme.
0314 of 16 caregivers had clinically significant stress before the programme, and 11 had clinically significant stress after it.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was a pilot with only 16 analysed caregivers, so it was underpowered and cannot show whether Hambisela works. It had a single-group pretest-post-test design, so any change could be due to time or other factors rather than the programme. The follow-up was short, with no time allowed for the programme to be consolidated. The stress and quality of life tools were not validated in South Africa. Most children were at GMFCS level V, so results may not apply to caregivers of children with less severe cerebral palsy. Two of 18 caregivers did not complete the programme, so results apply mainly to caregivers who finished. The Hambisela programme included several topics and practical sessions together, so this study cannot identify which component, if any, affected stress or quality of life.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the three caregivers who dropped below the 90th percentile as proof that Hambisela reduced stress. The total stress score did not change significantly (p = 0.72), and this underpowered single-group pilot cannot show effectiveness.