Burden of mothers of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: mixed method study

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the maternal burden related to the care of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Method: Study with a mixed-method sequential explanatory design held at the Association of Friends and Families of Special Children and in a WhatsApp® Messenger group, with 51 (quantitative phase) and six (qualitative phase) mothers, between January and October 2019. For data collection, in the quantitative phase, a sociodemographic, economic and child care characterization form and a Zarit Burden Interview instrument were used. Semi-structured interview was used in the qualitative phase. Descriptive bivariate and multivariate analysis (quantitative) and Bardin analysis (qualitative) were performed. Results: A total of 64.7% mothers felt burdened, with mild to moderate burden (52.9%). Four analytical categories on elements that trigger maternal burden emerged. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to identify maternal burden related to the care of children with autism spectrum disorder, during assistance in Primary Health Care.

Association of Parental Support with Reduced Stereotypy in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…As parents are the main caregivers, recognizing the signs and symptoms of ASD is very important to provide the best health care [ 13 ]. Taking care of a child with ASD is challenging because it can generate overload and not result in the proper care that the child needs [ 14 ], hence the importance of parents being married, as the partner is usually a source of support [ 15 ].…”