The Relationship between Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression, and Caregiver Burden among Informal Caregivers of ChildrenLiving with Sickle Cell Disease.

Amina Isa Halid; Asmau Muhammed Chubado Dahiru; Umar Baba Musami; Yakubu Anas Ibrahim; Ruqayyah Muhammad Abubakar; Yesiru Adeyemi Kareem; Muhammed Mahmood Yusuf; Kawu Muhammed Sunkani; Hassan Abdullahi Elechi; Baba Musa Muhammad; Ibrahim Abdu Wakawa

doi:10.5455/CRJMED.319369

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Original Article
Online Published: 30 Jul 2026

crjmed. 2026; 5(2): 13-22

doi: 10.5455/CRJMED.319369

The Relationship between Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression, and Caregiver Burden among Informal Caregivers of ChildrenLiving with Sickle Cell Disease.

Amina Isa Halid, Asmau Muhammed Chubado Dahiru, Umar Baba Musami, Yakubu Anas Ibrahim, Ruqayyah Muhammad Abubakar, Yesiru Adeyemi Kareem, Muhammed Mahmood Yusuf, Kawu Muhammed Sunkani, Hassan Abdullahi Elechi, Baba Musa Muhammad, Ibrahim Abdu Wakawa.

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Abstract
Background: Caring for children living with sickle cell disease (SCD) places significant psycho logical, social, and financial demands on informal caregivers. Persistent caregiving responsibilities may predispose caregivers to symptoms of anxiety and depression, as well as increased
caregiver burden. This study examined the relationship between symptoms of anxiety and depression, and caregiver burden among informal caregivers of children with SCD attending a specialist clinic in Maiduguri, Nigeria.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 193 informal caregivers of children diagnosed with SCD attending the sickle cell clinic of the State Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri. Eligible participants were adult caregivers directly responsible for the child’s care for at least
one year. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and the Family Burden Interview Schedule (FBIS). SPSS was used to analyze the data that was obtained. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and Pearson
Product Moment Correlation were employed to assess the relationship between symptoms of anxiety and depression, and caregiver burden.
Results: The prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms among caregivers was 63.2% and 66.9%, respectively. High objective caregiver burden was reported by 65.3% of participants, while 85.5% experienced high subjective burden. The correlation coefficient (r) between anxiety symptoms and severity of burden of care is 0.752 while the correlation coefficient (r) between depressive symptoms and severity of burden is 0.691, indicating a strong positive correlation between these two variables. Financial burden was the most common burden subtype (71.5%),
followed by adverse effects on caregivers’ mental health (64.2%). Significant relationships were found between caregiver burden and both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Caregivers with severe burden had higher mean anxiety and depression scores compared with those with moderate burden. Financial burdens, disruption of family activities, effects on family mental health, and subjective burden were significantly associated with anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Conclusion: Informal caregivers of children living with SCD experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, and caregiver burden. Anxiety and depressive symptoms are associated with increased caregiver burden, highlighting the need for routine psychological assessment and supportive interventions targeting caregivers within SCD care programs.

Key words: SCD, anxiety, depression, caregivers, Nigeria.

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How to Cite this Article

Pubmed Style

Halid AI, Dahiru AMC, Musami UB, Ibrahim YA, Abubakar RM, Kareem YA, Yusuf MM, Sunkani KM, Elechi HA, Muhammad BM, Wakawa IA. The Relationship between Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression, and Caregiver Burden among Informal Caregivers of ChildrenLiving with Sickle Cell Disease.. crjmed. 2026; 5(2): 13-22.

doi:10.5455/CRJMED.319369

Web Style

Halid AI, Dahiru AMC, Musami UB, Ibrahim YA, Abubakar RM, Kareem YA, Yusuf MM, Sunkani KM, Elechi HA, Muhammad BM, Wakawa IA. The Relationship between Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression, and Caregiver Burden among Informal Caregivers of ChildrenLiving with Sickle Cell Disease.. https://www.crjmed.com/?mno=319369 [Access: July 30, 2026].

doi:10.5455/CRJMED.319369

AMA (American Medical Association) Style

Halid AI, Dahiru AMC, Musami UB, Ibrahim YA, Abubakar RM, Kareem YA, Yusuf MM, Sunkani KM, Elechi HA, Muhammad BM, Wakawa IA. The Relationship between Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression, and Caregiver Burden among Informal Caregivers of ChildrenLiving with Sickle Cell Disease.. crjmed. 2026; 5(2): 13-22.

doi:10.5455/CRJMED.319369

Vancouver/ICMJE Style

doi:10.5455/CRJMED.319369

Harvard Style

Halid, A. I., Dahiru, . A. M. C., Musami, . U. B., Ibrahim, . Y. A., Abubakar, . R. M., Kareem, . Y. A., Yusuf, . M. M., Sunkani, . K. M., Elechi, . H. A., Muhammad, . B. M. & Wakawa, . I. A. (2026) The Relationship between Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression, and Caregiver Burden among Informal Caregivers of ChildrenLiving with Sickle Cell Disease.. crjmed, 5 (2), 13-22.

doi:10.5455/CRJMED.319369

Turabian Style

Halid, Amina Isa, Asmau Muhammed Chubado Dahiru, Umar Baba Musami, Yakubu Anas Ibrahim, Ruqayyah Muhammad Abubakar, Yesiru Adeyemi Kareem, Muhammed Mahmood Yusuf, Kawu Muhammed Sunkani, Hassan Abdullahi Elechi, Baba Musa Muhammad, and Ibrahim Abdu Wakawa. 2026. The Relationship between Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression, and Caregiver Burden among Informal Caregivers of ChildrenLiving with Sickle Cell Disease.. Cross River Journal of Medicine, 5 (2), 13-22.

doi:10.5455/CRJMED.319369

Chicago Style

Halid, Amina Isa, Asmau Muhammed Chubado Dahiru, Umar Baba Musami, Yakubu Anas Ibrahim, Ruqayyah Muhammad Abubakar, Yesiru Adeyemi Kareem, Muhammed Mahmood Yusuf, Kawu Muhammed Sunkani, Hassan Abdullahi Elechi, Baba Musa Muhammad, and Ibrahim Abdu Wakawa. "The Relationship between Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression, and Caregiver Burden among Informal Caregivers of ChildrenLiving with Sickle Cell Disease.." Cross River Journal of Medicine 5 (2026), 13-22.

doi:10.5455/CRJMED.319369

MLA (The Modern Language Association) Style

Halid, Amina Isa, Asmau Muhammed Chubado Dahiru, Umar Baba Musami, Yakubu Anas Ibrahim, Ruqayyah Muhammad Abubakar, Yesiru Adeyemi Kareem, Muhammed Mahmood Yusuf, Kawu Muhammed Sunkani, Hassan Abdullahi Elechi, Baba Musa Muhammad, and Ibrahim Abdu Wakawa. "The Relationship between Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression, and Caregiver Burden among Informal Caregivers of ChildrenLiving with Sickle Cell Disease.." Cross River Journal of Medicine 5.2 (2026), 13-22. Print.

doi:10.5455/CRJMED.319369

APA (American Psychological Association) Style

doi:10.5455/CRJMED.319369

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