Social capital of families of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities in South India.

AIM: To investigate the social capital of families with children with neurodevelopmental disabilities in South India receiving a community-based early intervention (Enabling Inclusion®) program and to explore determinants and associations between social capital and program duration, socio-demographic factors, family empowerment, and caregiver burden.

METHOD: Using purposive sampling in a cross-sectional study design, 217 families (n = 71 received short Enabling Inclusion [<5 months]; n = 146 received long Enabling Inclusion [>9 months]) were recruited and completed the Short Adapted Social Capital Tool (SASCAT: cognitive, structural), measures of family empowerment, and caregiver strain. Descriptive statistics, regression, and correlations were used for analyses.

RESULTS: In 52.1% of participants, low cognitive and structural social capital was observed. Higher odds of low structural social capital were observed for mothers with primary versus secondary education (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.13-0.90; p = 0.029); and caregivers of children with cerebral palsy versus autism (OR = 4.66; 95% CI 1.02-21.21; p = 0.046). Significant associations were found between structural social capital, the child's age, and support group membership (χ2  = 6.29; 4.70; degrees of freedom [df] = 2; 1; p = 0.04; p = 0.02 respectively), as well as between cognitive social capital and other disability in the family (χ2  = 4.62, df = 1, p = 0.03).

INTERPRETATION: While program duration was not found to mediate social capital, mother's education and child's diagnosis emerged as key influential factors, warranting their consideration in interventions supporting families of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities in low- and-middle-income countries and elsewhere.