Perceived Stress among Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A State-Wide Study

Abstract

Background: Caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience increased stress and more significant negative caregiving consequences than those with typically developing children. There is a lack of studies specifically focusing on stress among caregivers with ASD children in Asian countries. The current study examines levels of perceived stress and factors associated with it among caregivers in Kelantan, Malaysia. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, the Malay version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) was administered to 227 caregivers of children with ASD. The caregivers were recruited from ASD databases in four tertiary hospitals in Kelantan and a meeting was set up during the child’s follow-up in the clinic. Multiple linear regression analyses were applied to determine the predictors of perceived stress. Results: The mean total perceived stress score was 20.84 (4.72). This was considered higher than average. Higher perceived stress was significantly predicted among caregivers who live far from the health institution, caregivers who do not own transportation to bring the child to the treatment center, and caregivers who have an ASD child with a learning disability. Conclusion: Caregivers of an ASD child perceived significant stress while taking care of their children. Institutions should alleviate the factors that were predicted to increase the caregivers’ perceived stress to improve the quality of the lives of children and ASD families as a whole.

Mental Health and Resilient Coping in Caregivers of Autistic Individuals during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from the Families Facing COVID Study

“…The current study also characterized caregiver mental health, and in particular stress and anxiety, during COVID-19, that is, caregiver perceptions of their current (Ersoy et al, 2020;Esentürk, 2020;Manning et al, 2020;Pavlopoulou et al, 2020;Stankovic et al, 2020;White et al, 2021), the majority of participants in the sample indicated that they were experiencing moderate levels of stress and high anxiety, and the majority of caregivers were low in resilient coping. Caregiver perceived stress in the present sample appears to be comparable to that of caregivers of autistic individuals prior to COVID-19 also measured using the PSS-10 (Lovell & Wetherell, 2016;Nik Adib et al, 2019). Compared to prepandemic stress, stress of caregivers of neurotypical children (measured using the PSS-10) has increased overtime during COVID-19 (Adams et al, 2021).…”

Caregiver Burden And Psychosocial Factors In Mothers With Autism Spectrum Disorder Children

“…1,3 Parents with ASD children also had a high level of stress. 5 In several other studies, it was also stated that mothers of children with ASD experienced more severe problems when compared to mothers of children with physical disabilities, Down's syndrome, or healthy children. This can lead to the emergence of a burden on family members and mothers in particular.…”

Perceived stress among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder in Egypt

“…Mothers of children with ASD spend more effort, patience and time on daily duties to meet the high care demands of their children, as well as managing ASD. Besides, the effect of mothering children with ASD is like the disorder itself, multifaceted and pervasive (Adib et al, 2019). Also, the inadequate provision of education and health care services may result in experiencing stress concerning ASD in Egypt.…”