Shaffer, Emma. Diaper need as a measure of material hardship among under-resourced families with neurodiverse children. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-sts2-y933
DescriptionDiaper need is an increasingly important social determinant of health measure for families with young children. Previous research examining associations of diaper need focused on parent outcomes and sampling occurred pre-pandemic. In this study, we examined the associations of diaper need and family outcomes among a sample of under-resourced families with neurodiverse children. Seventy-six percent of the sample of the participants reported some diaper need and 39.5% reported high diaper need. Common mitigation strategies included using a towel or other cloth as a diaper, not using a diaper, and keeping the child in the diaper for longer than usual. Parents reporting food insecurity were 4.24 times more likely to report high diaper need than their food secure peers (OR = 4.24; p = .039). High diaper need was associated with greater parent stress (β = 2.72, p < .001) and parent perception of poor sleep (β = -7.28, p = .01). Any diaper need was associated with shorter, more disrupted child sleep (β = -11.95, p < .001) and lower total child sleep scores (β = -6.49, p = .004). We did not find a significant association between high diaper need and child irritability (p = .053). The associations between diaper need and family outcomes suggest that an inadequate supply of diapers adversely affects parent stress levels and child sleep patterns.