Problem behaviours and caregiver burden among children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Kuching, Sarawak

Abstract

ObjectiveCaregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience emotional and psychological distress, as well as disruptions to family life and employment due to the challenges of caring for children with ASD. This study examines the relationship between problem behaviours and caregiver burden among children with ASD.MethodA cross-sectional study using convenience sampling recruited 230 caregivers of children with ASD aged 4 to 18 years from selected autism centres in Kuching, Sarawak. The caregivers completed the Aberrant Behaviour Checklist-2 and the Zarit Burden Interview.ResultsUnivariate analysis revealed a significant difference in caregiver burden for children with ASD receiving medications (p = 0.013), registered with the Social Welfare Department (p = 0.036), and having siblings with ASD (p = 0.046). About 40% of the children exhibited at least one domain of problem behaviour. More than half of the caregivers (53.9%) experienced burden, with the majority experiencing mild burden. Positive associations were seen between irritability (r = 0.458, p < 0.01), social withdrawal (r = 0.439, p < 0.01), stereotypic behaviour (r = 0.392, p < 0.01), hyperactivity/non-compliance (r = 0.467, p < 0.01), and caregiver burden. Child factors, including the duration of problem behaviour (r = 0.182, p = 0.007), medication use (eta = 0.187, p = 0.005), Social Welfare Department registration (eta = 0.138, p = 0.036), and the presence of siblings with ASD (eta = 0.130, p = 0.046) were associated with caregiver burden. Multiple linear regression showed that hyperactivity/noncompliance significantly predicted caregiver burden.ConclusionSpecific problem behaviours in children with ASD were associated with caregiver burden. These results highlight the need for interventions for the child with ASD and their caregivers.

Applicability and Psychometric Properties of General Mental Health Assessment Tools in Autistic People: A Systematic Review

“…Regarding the study population, there was a notable lack of population-based studies (only 7% of the investigations: ABC: Chua et al, 2023;Rohacek et al, 2023 Deniz & Toseeb, 2023;Milosavljevic et al, 2016;Totsika et al, 2013), with the majority being convenience samples with participants recruited from clinics and other preexisting services. A significant proportion of the papers (26%; n = 43) relied on parent-reported clinical autism diagnoses or diagnoses derived from enrollment in schools for autistic people (see Appendix F for the risk of bias assessment).…”

The impact of care-recipient relationship type on mental health burden of caregivers for schizophrenia patients: evidence from Beijing, China

“… Peng et al (2023) used a Chinese version of the Family Questionnaire and found that in China, parents or spouses scored higher in emotional over involvement with schizophrenia patients compared to siblings, but no significant difference existed between fathers, mothers, or spouses. Secondly, most existing studies concentrated on the characteristics or correlations of factors influencing caregivers’ quality of life, lacking research on specific issues such as the impact of caregiver’s mental health burden ( Srivastava, 2005 ; Chua et al, 2023 ). Additionally, the number of research interviewees or samples typically does not exceed 500 ( Reinhard and Horwitz, 1995 ; Knock et al, 2011 ; Chen et al, 2019 ).…”