Burnout and Sleep Quality among Caregivers at a Special Education Elementary School in Breña. 2026

Abstract

Caregiver burnout refers to the physical and emotional exhaustion resulting from the continuous demands of caregiving, a factor that affects sleep quality, as well as caregivers’ ability to recover, their daily functioning, and their overall well-being. The objective of this study was to determine the relationship between burnout and sleep quality among caregivers of children attending a special education center in Breña during the year 2026. An applied quantitative approach was used, employing a non-experimental, correlational, cross-sectional design. The Zarit Caregiver Burden Index (ZBI) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were administered to 55 caregivers of children with disabilities, selected through a census-based, non-probabilistic sampling method. The results revealed a very high Spearman’s Rho correlation coefficient of 0.901, indicating a significant relationship between caregiver burden and sleep quality among caregivers at a special education center (p < 0.05); therefore, the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted. In terms of sociodemographic profile, females predominated (92.7%), primarily mothers (85.5%), aged between 36 and 45 years (70.9%). It is concluded that there is a significant relationship between caregiver burden and sleep quality among caregivers at a special elementary school; that is, the greater the caregiver’s burden, the lower their sleep quality. This study highlights the importance of addressing caregiver burden, contributing to health promotion strategies such as educational talks and preventive campaigns on adequate rest.