Broadening the scope of social support, coping skills and resilience among caretakers of children with disabilities in Uganda: a sequential explanatory mixed-methods study

BACKGROUND: Most caretakers of children with disabilities (CWDs) have adverse health outcomes. Approximately 31% of the caretakers have clinical depression in the world. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 42% of them face severe psychological distress. Caretakers in Africa face additional cultural challenges that undermine their coping skills, access to social support, and resilience. METHODS: This study used sequential explanatory mixed methods to examine the relationships of social support, coping skills and resilience among caretakers of CWDs in Uganda. A total of 621 caretakers were surveyed, and 43 of them participated in interviews. Hierarchical cluster analysis and binary logistic regression were conducted to determine coping patterns and predict caretakers’ likelihood of using them. Hierarchical linear regression and thematic analyses then explored the relationships and perceptions of coping skills and resilience related to social support. A joint display was used to integrate results and show the convergence and expansion of quantitative and qualitative results. RESULTS: Quantitative and qualitative findings converged that caretakers who received social support used adaptive coping skills and had higher resilience. Qualitative results expanded the finding that caretakers who received formal social support perceived it as a safer mode of care than informal social support. CONCLUSIONS: The study expanded the scope of social support, coping skills, and resilience. Caretakers perceived formal social support from schools as a safe mode of care that enabled them to use adaptive coping skills and have high resilience. Therefore, enrolling children with disabilities in schools at an early age is beneficial for building the resilience of their caretakers. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-13018-x.