Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41296007›Full record

Observational studyPediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany)2026

Mental health among caregivers of children with nephrotic syndrome: a prospective cohort study.

Tanay Joshi, Cal H Robinson, Nowrin Aman, Tonny H M Banh, Josefina Brooke, Valentina Bruno, Rahul Chanchlani, Vaneet Dhillon, Mackenzie GarnerCKiD Chronic, Leo Levin and 9 more

Abstract readObservational Study
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Observational study in Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

19 authors.

Tanay JoshiSchool of Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland.
Cal H RobinsonChild Health Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada. cal.robinson@sickkids.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2223-0646
Nowrin AmanChild Health Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Tonny H M BanhChild Health Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Josefina BrookeChild Health Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Valentina BrunoDivision of Nephrology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Rahul ChanchlaniDivision of Nephrology, Department of Pediatrics, McMaster Children's Hospital, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Vaneet DhillonChild Health Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Mackenzie GarnerCKiD ChronicChild Health Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Leo LevinDivision of Nephrology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Christoph LichtDivision of Nephrology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Ashlene M McKayDivision of Nephrology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Rachel PearlDivision of Nephrology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Seetha RadhakrishnanDivision of Nephrology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Nithiakishna SelvathesanDivision of Nephrology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Chia Wei TeohDivision of Nephrology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Jovanka Vasilevska-RistovskaDivision of Nephrology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Hubert WongDivision of Nephrology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Rulan S ParekhChild Health Evaluative Sciences, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCaregivers of children with nephrotic syndrome may experience psychological challenges due to the disease's unpredictability and home monitoring burden. Prevalence and risk factors of distress, anxiety, and depression among these caregivers are unknown.

methodsWe analyzed data from Insight into Nephrotic Syndrome: Investigating Genes, Health, and Therapeutics, a prospective observational childhood nephrotic syndrome cohort. We included children (1-18 years) diagnosed from 1996-2023 from the greater Toronto area, Canada, and their caregivers. Children had annual study visits for five years. Caregivers were screened for anxiety and depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 annually. We evaluated risk factors for psychological distress using mixed effects models.

resultsWe analyzed data from 733 children with nephrotic syndrome (median age at diagnosis: 4 [IQR 3-6] years; 460 [73%] male; 242 [33%] South Asian; 690 [94%] steroid-sensitive). Median follow-up was 5.4 (IQR 3.0-9.3) years. Caregivers of 261 (36%) children experienced ≥ mild, 101 (14%) experienced ≥ moderate, and 38 (5%) experienced severe psychological distress. Caregivers of 167 (23%) children screened positive for anxiety and 90 (12%) for depression during follow-up. Risk factors for psychological distress were younger child age, parental unemployment, worse child quality-of-life, worse family functioning, language barrier, active steroid treatment, and lack of steroid-sparing treatment. Distress was associated with a higher probability of subsequent steroid-sparing medication initiation (adjusted odds ratio 1.08, 95%CI 1.02-1.15), although residual confounding and reverse causation cannot be excluded.

conclusionsOver one-third of caregivers experienced mild or greater psychological distress, 23% screened positive for anxiety, and 12% for depression. Child and caregiver demographics, treatment response, and socioeconomic elements were predictive of caregiver distress.

Indexed as

AnxietyCaregiversDepressionMental HealthNephrotic SyndromePsychological DistressStress, PsychologicalAdolescentChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantMalePrevalenceProspective StudiesAnxietyCaregiverDepressionNephrotic syndromePediatricPsychological distress

Identifiers

PMID41296007

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.