A comparative cross sectional study of social capital among primary caregivers of children with disabilities in rural Bangladesh

To describe the social capital of primary caregivers of children with disability in rural Bangladesh. A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted with children (<18 years) with and without disability and their primary caregivers in Shahjadpur subdistrict, Bangladesh. Children with disability were identified from a population-based cohort using Key Informant Method, and age-, sex-, and locale-matched peers without disability were selected as a comparison group. The short Adapted Social Capital Assessment Tool (SASCAT) was used to assess social capital. Descriptive statistics summarized participant characteristics and SASCAT domains, linear regression examined factors associated with social capital of caregivers. Between October-2017 and February-2018, primary caregivers of 1274 children with disability and 1303 children without disability were recruited. Caregivers of children with disability reported significantly lower social capital than caregivers of children without disability (total score: 6.74 vs. 7.10 respectively, p<0.001), with similar differences observed across group membership (p=0.021), social support (p<0.001), and trust (p=0.004). When adjusted for demographic characteristics, having a child with disability remained independently associated with lower caregiver social capital (β= –0.201, SE=0.083; p=0.015). Among caregivers of children with disabilities, social capital was positively associated with child’s age (β=0.028, SE=0.012; p=0.022) and rural residence ((β= 0.371, SE=0.158; p=0.019), but negatively with history of child getting bullied by neighbors (β= –0.520, SE=0.120; p<0.001). Caregivers of children with disability in rural Bangladesh experience lower social capital highlighting substantial social disadvantage. Strengthening disability-inclusive social policies and community awareness is essential to improve support for these families.