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Factors Associated with Caregiver Burden Among Parents of Individuals with ASD : Differences Across Intellectual Functioning
Author(s) -
Vogan Vanessa,
Lake Johanna K.,
Weiss Jonathan A.,
Robinson Suzanne,
Tint Ami,
Lunsky Yona
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
family relations
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1741-3729
pISSN - 0197-6664
DOI - 10.1111/fare.12081
Subject(s) - autism spectrum disorder , intellectual disability , caregiver burden , comorbidity , psychology , autism , young adult , mental health , clinical psychology , psychiatry , developmental psychology , medicine , disease , dementia , pathology
Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder ( ASD ) persist into adolescence and adulthood, when access to health services and supports become difficult. Consequently, most adolescents and adults with ASD remain reliant on their families for support, often resulting in caregiver burden among parents. This study aims to investigate factors associated with burden in parents of adolescents and young adults with ASD , and to understand how these factors differ across varying levels of intellectual functioning. Of the 297 parents sampled, ASD severity, externalizing behaviors, medical comorbidity, and parent age predicted burden in parents of adolescents and young adults with ASD and an intellectual disability ( ID ), whereas an inability to pay for services predicted burden in parents of individuals with ASD and no ID . Factors associated with caregiver burden differed among individuals with and without ID and were not limited to symptom severity or mental health problems, but also extended to system factors.