Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Apr;54(4):1507-1516.
doi: 10.1007/s10803-022-05885-5. Epub 2023 Jan 13.

Associations Among Autism Symptom Domains and Facets of Caregiver Strain

Sophie Brunt  1 , Rose Nevill  2 , Micah O Mazurek  2
Affiliations

Associations Among Autism Symptom Domains and Facets of Caregiver Strain

Sophie Brunt et al. J Autism Dev Disord. 2024 Apr.

Abstract

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience elevated levels of caregiver strain (CGS). Few studies have examined the relationship between core ASD symptoms and each facet of CGS: objective, subjective internalized, and subjective externalized strain. The predictive effect of core and associated features of ASD on CGS facets were investigated, while also exploring the moderating effect of age. Atypical behaviors and behavior problems were the strongest predictors of all types of caregiver strain. For younger children, more repetitive behaviors predicted higher externalized strain, yet the opposite was true for parents of adolescents. Given that caregiver strain impacts parents' service utilization patterns, future research should focus on strategies to support parents in reducing caregiver strain.

Keywords: Autism impact measure; Autism spectrum disorder; Caregiver strain.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The relationship between AIM Repetitive Behaviors score and subjective externalized strain at different child ages
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Aman MG, Singh N, Stewerat A, & Field C. (1985). The aberrant behavior checklist: a behavior rating scale for the assessment of treatment effects. American Journal of Mental Deficiency, 89(5), 492–502. - PubMed
    1. Bayley N. (2006). Bayley scales of infant and toddler development, third edition: Administration manual. San Antonio, TX: Harcourt.
    1. Beurkens NM, Hobson JA, & Hobson RP (2013). Autism severity and qualities of parent–child relations. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43(1), 168–178. 10.1007/s10803-012-1562-4. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bradshaw J, Gillespie S, McCracken C, King BH, McCracken JT, Johnson CR, & Scahill L. (2021). Predictors of caregiver strain for parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 51(9), 3039–3049. 10.1007/s10803-020-04625-x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Brannan A, Heflinger C, & Bickman L. (1997). The caregiver strain questionnaire: measuring the impact on the family of living with a child with serious emotional disturbance. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 5(4), 212–222. 10.1177/106342669700500404. - DOI