A Brief Report of Self-Care Practices and Respite Use Among Hispanic/Latina Mothers of Children with Developmental Disabilities.

Background: Caring for a child with disabilities is challenging and sometimes overwhelming. Self-care and use of respite services can be important strategies for caregivers to relieve stress, prevent burnout, and reduce the risk of poor physical and mental health. Little is known about the use of self-care and respite care services among Hispanic/Latino caregivers of children with developmental disabilities.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify: (1) if Hispanic/Latina mothers of children with developmental disabilities in Nebraska practiced self-care or used respite support services, (2) what types of self-care practices were used, and (3) what if anything prevented these mothers from practicing self-care or using respite services.

Methods: A total of 75 Hispanic/Latina mothers were interviewed between August-September 2022.

Results: We found that 73.3% of participants reported practicing self-care, but even more (80%) reported engaging in specific self-care activities. Participants who were living in the United States without legal permission were significantly less likely to report practicing self-care compared to those who were U.S. citizens, residents, or were in process for residency (38.2% vs. 61.8%), p = .02. Only 6.8% of participants reported using respite services. Of those who did not use respite services, 60% reported that they did not know about such services.

Conclusions: Promoting the availability of supportive resources for caregivers in culturally, linguistically, and contextually relevant formats (especially those that are available regardless of immigration status) could be valuable. Institutionalizing caregiver navigation programs and addressing cultural and structural barriers to respite service uptake could have positive benefits for caregivers of children with disabilities.