Table 7.

Relationships between demands of caring and other aspects of health and well-being

Theme: non-physical domains of health are affected by caring
Sub-theme	Evidence
Positive effects on emotions	‘It improves my life for example when I wash and feed him he is happy he laughs and so I feel good in my heart’ Carer 005
Negative effects on emotions and mood	‘It affects because you will not be happy you feel sad in your heart and so your health is affected’ Carer 016
	‘She is the child I gave birth to but still it hurt in my heart to see her in that condition’ Carer 009
	‘My health yes, I feel pity in my heart because she cannot walk’ Carer 015
	‘The child cannot carry out anything for herself she cannot give support to herself so I sometime sit down and reflect a lot. Also I wonder where I/ the child went wrong so I feel guilty. Sometimes a person might come and ask “hasn't the child been able to walk since that time? What are you going to do?” then I say nothing because there is nothing to be done, but that makes me feel terrible in my heart and I can even put aside whatever I was doing just to go to bed because I feel horrible in heart!’ Carer 023
Caring is a blessing through God's work	‘It becomes good in that by taking care of her God blesses us’ Carer 014
	‘My life keeps on going well because we were given that child by God and we accept him because he's like the kid who is walking and you have accepted just like you are told to accept Aids so if you accept such a thing then your life becomes good’. Carer 002
Difficulty performing activities and work	‘The effect is; I cannot be away to do my own duties like working because I cannot leave her alone’ Carer 022
	‘There are a lot of activities outside that I cannot do if I'm alone with the child I cannot fetch water/ go to the market since you have fail to go to the shamba (farm) will you go to the market? So you remain here’ Carer 008