Purpose: To describe the relationship between perceived social support (PSS) for family caregivers of children with medical complexity (CMC) and potential predictors. Specific Aims: 1) To examine between group (race and ethnicity) differences in PSS for CMC family caregivers; 2) To describe the association between PSS and SDoH risk for CMC family caregivers; 3) To evaluate an explanatory model for CMC family caregiver PSS using SDoH risk and factors associated with the child’s degree of medical complexity.

Framework: Critical Caring Theory undergirded this study. Design: This cross-sectional, correlational study conducted at a pediatric hospital randomly then purposefully recruited 91 CMC family caregivers of eligible CMC . The Social Provisions Scale (SPS) and PRAPARE® Tool were electronically distributed to measure PSS and SDoH risk, respectively. Additional survey items and EMR extraction collected caregiver demographics and child complexity variables. Analysis included descriptive statistics, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and linear regression.

Results: Small group sizes limited analysis of racial and ethnic differences in PSS. SPS and PRAPARE® scores were moderately negatively associated (Pearson r= -.418, p <.001). SDoH risk, stress, and caregiver gender remained significant predictors in the final explanatory regression model, explaining 27.8% of the variance in PSS (p <.001). No child complexity factors were significant predictors of PSS.

Conclusion: The negative association between PSS and both caregiver stress and SDoH risk suggests the importance of using a family-centered care model that includes assessing environmental (SDoH) and caregiver (stress) factors when planning social support-based interventions for CMC caregivers.