Assessment of Psychosocial Support Needs among Caregivers of Children with Special Needs in Tripoli, Libya

Abstract

Family caregivers providing sustained oversight for children with developmental, cognitive, or motor impairments experience substantial psychosocial, somatic, and environmental strain. Within the healthcare ecosystem of post-conflict Libya, data on caregiver stress vulnerabilities and corresponding health infrastructure insufficiencies have historically been underrepresented. This study was conducted to map structural and emotional stressors, quantify perceived social support mechanisms, prioritise caregiver-identified support interventions, and delineate systematic obstacles preventing structural service integration. This descriptive cross-sectional investigation collected empirical datasets from N = 147 family caregivers operating within metropolitan Tripoli using validated self-administered multi-channel metrics. Inter-group statistical relationships across varying child etiologies were parsed via descriptive parameters and one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Pronounced psychiatric and physical morbidity risks were demonstrated: 57.1% reported persistent diagnostic anticipatory anxiety concerning their child’s longitudinal autonomy, 60.0% met clinical thresholds for sleep fragmentation, and 45.6% suffered continuous systemic physical exhaustion. Informal family support models delivered robust emotional relief for 85.0% of respondents, whereas 66.6% reported a severe deficit or complete absence of government social protection initiatives. Crucial institutional remedies highlighted by caregivers included targeted behavioural therapy subsidisation (58.5%) and professional psychological coping workshops (45.6%). Structural gaps in specialised public sectors (44.2%) and general societal stigma (36.7%) represented the most critical barriers to healthcare utilisation. Univariate ANOVA confirmed that caregiver distress indices did not significantly covary based on the specific primary diagnosis of the child (p > 0.05). Caregivers in urban Tripoli shoulder severe, homogeneous psychosocial burdens that are acutely compounded by systemic shortfalls in public institutional health structures. Mitigating this hidden public health strain requires synchronised policy reforms, formal mental health networks, and localised economic subsidies.