Parental Stress and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Description

Page: 1488-1491

Radhika Parihar (Department of Psychology, The University of Massachusetts Boston, Massachusetts)

Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is commonly associated with elevated levels of stress compared with parenting typically developing children or children with other disabilities. This paper reviews the empirical literature on parental stress in the context of autism, describes major factors that influence stress levels (child characteristics, parental factors, family & social context, & systemic variables), and evaluates interventions shown to reduce parental stress or buffer its impact. Evidence demonstrates that core ASD symptoms (communication impairments, repetitive behaviors), co-occurring problems (behavioral challenges, sleep disturbances, intellectual disability), and care demands increase parenting stress. Parental mental health, coping styles, social support, financial strain, stigma, and access to services moderate stress. Interventions that target child behavior (behavioral parent training), parental coping and mental health (CBT, mindfulness-based programs), and structural supports (respite, service coordination, peer support) produce small-to-moderate reductions in parental stress; integrated multi-component programs appear most promising. The paper concludes with practice and policy implications, gaps in the literature, and directions for future research.