Mitigating moral distress by enhancing healthcare workers’ understanding of challenges faced by carers of children with disabilities in low-resource settings in Kenya
Background Little is known about the psychological wellbeing and the potential moral distress faced by female carers of children with disabilities living in low-resource settings in East Africa. In such environments, caregiving often requires resilience and resourcefulness, yet can also increase the...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
|
| Series: | Global Health Action |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2025.2452159 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823858034740297728 |
|---|---|
| author | Anne Geniets Jarim Omogi Laura Hakimi Alice Lakati Niall Winters |
| author_facet | Anne Geniets Jarim Omogi Laura Hakimi Alice Lakati Niall Winters |
| author_sort | Anne Geniets |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Little is known about the psychological wellbeing and the potential moral distress faced by female carers of children with disabilities living in low-resource settings in East Africa. In such environments, caregiving often requires resilience and resourcefulness, yet can also increase the vulnerability of caregivers and their children. Objective The objective of this study is to identify factors affecting female caregivers’ psychological well-being, and to suggest ways healthcare workers can support these caregivers’ psychological well-being to alleviate moral distress. Methods Employing an intersectional convergent parallel mixed-methods approach, the research explores the factors affecting the psychological wellbeing of caregivers in one urban and one rural low-resource setting in Kenya. Results The study identifies strengthening and inhibiting factors, across three dimensions, that moderate caregivers’ experiences of moral distress, and puts forward suggestions for healthcare workers on how to support caregivers’ psychological wellbeing. Conclusions Female carers of children with disabilities in low-resource settings in Kenya face numerous psychological, social and systemic challenges which jeopardize their caregiving, leading to moral distress. Paediatricians and nurses can contribute to enhance the caregivers’ coping-strategies and psychological well-being through simple changes, like explaining a child’s condition in non-technical language. Community health workers can help strengthen the caregivers’ already existing resources by accompanying them in the day-to-day care of their children and by helping them establish self-support groups. Consequently, improved training of healthcare- and community health workers in the field of childhood disability is needed to strengthen health systems, and to support these caregivers and their children. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-32135a0e20684f458dfd4193e3b533ff |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1654-9880 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Health Action |
| spelling | doaj-art-32135a0e20684f458dfd4193e3b533ff2025-02-11T15:10:10ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGlobal Health Action1654-98802025-12-0118110.1080/16549716.2025.24521592452159Mitigating moral distress by enhancing healthcare workers’ understanding of challenges faced by carers of children with disabilities in low-resource settings in KenyaAnne Geniets0Jarim Omogi1Laura Hakimi2Alice Lakati3Niall Winters4Clinic for Survivors of Torture and War (AFK), University Hospital ZürichAmref International UniversityUniversity of OxfordAmref International UniversityUniversity of OxfordBackground Little is known about the psychological wellbeing and the potential moral distress faced by female carers of children with disabilities living in low-resource settings in East Africa. In such environments, caregiving often requires resilience and resourcefulness, yet can also increase the vulnerability of caregivers and their children. Objective The objective of this study is to identify factors affecting female caregivers’ psychological well-being, and to suggest ways healthcare workers can support these caregivers’ psychological well-being to alleviate moral distress. Methods Employing an intersectional convergent parallel mixed-methods approach, the research explores the factors affecting the psychological wellbeing of caregivers in one urban and one rural low-resource setting in Kenya. Results The study identifies strengthening and inhibiting factors, across three dimensions, that moderate caregivers’ experiences of moral distress, and puts forward suggestions for healthcare workers on how to support caregivers’ psychological wellbeing. Conclusions Female carers of children with disabilities in low-resource settings in Kenya face numerous psychological, social and systemic challenges which jeopardize their caregiving, leading to moral distress. Paediatricians and nurses can contribute to enhance the caregivers’ coping-strategies and psychological well-being through simple changes, like explaining a child’s condition in non-technical language. Community health workers can help strengthen the caregivers’ already existing resources by accompanying them in the day-to-day care of their children and by helping them establish self-support groups. Consequently, improved training of healthcare- and community health workers in the field of childhood disability is needed to strengthen health systems, and to support these caregivers and their children.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2025.2452159moral distresscaregiverscommunity healthcare workerschildren with disabilitiesmental health |
| spellingShingle | Anne Geniets Jarim Omogi Laura Hakimi Alice Lakati Niall Winters Mitigating moral distress by enhancing healthcare workers’ understanding of challenges faced by carers of children with disabilities in low-resource settings in Kenya Global Health Action moral distress caregivers community healthcare workers children with disabilities mental health |
| title | Mitigating moral distress by enhancing healthcare workers’ understanding of challenges faced by carers of children with disabilities in low-resource settings in Kenya |
| title_full | Mitigating moral distress by enhancing healthcare workers’ understanding of challenges faced by carers of children with disabilities in low-resource settings in Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Mitigating moral distress by enhancing healthcare workers’ understanding of challenges faced by carers of children with disabilities in low-resource settings in Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mitigating moral distress by enhancing healthcare workers’ understanding of challenges faced by carers of children with disabilities in low-resource settings in Kenya |
| title_short | Mitigating moral distress by enhancing healthcare workers’ understanding of challenges faced by carers of children with disabilities in low-resource settings in Kenya |
| title_sort | mitigating moral distress by enhancing healthcare workers understanding of challenges faced by carers of children with disabilities in low resource settings in kenya |
| topic | moral distress caregivers community healthcare workers children with disabilities mental health |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2025.2452159 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT annegeniets mitigatingmoraldistressbyenhancinghealthcareworkersunderstandingofchallengesfacedbycarersofchildrenwithdisabilitiesinlowresourcesettingsinkenya AT jarimomogi mitigatingmoraldistressbyenhancinghealthcareworkersunderstandingofchallengesfacedbycarersofchildrenwithdisabilitiesinlowresourcesettingsinkenya AT laurahakimi mitigatingmoraldistressbyenhancinghealthcareworkersunderstandingofchallengesfacedbycarersofchildrenwithdisabilitiesinlowresourcesettingsinkenya AT alicelakati mitigatingmoraldistressbyenhancinghealthcareworkersunderstandingofchallengesfacedbycarersofchildrenwithdisabilitiesinlowresourcesettingsinkenya AT niallwinters mitigatingmoraldistressbyenhancinghealthcareworkersunderstandingofchallengesfacedbycarersofchildrenwithdisabilitiesinlowresourcesettingsinkenya |