Building Family Resilience in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Integrative Review of Models, Interventions, and Future...

Area of Science:

• Family Studies
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face significant stress, stigma, and inadequate support.
• Resilience, the ability to adapt to adversity, is crucial for family well-being in ASD caregiving.
• Existing literature lacks a synthesized overview of resilience frameworks and interventions for these families.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct an integrative review of conceptual frameworks and interventions aimed at enhancing family resilience in the context of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) caregiving.
• To identify and categorize existing models of family resilience relevant to ASD.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions based on these models.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search conducted across PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Google Scholar from 2000 to 2025.
• Inclusion criteria focused on studies addressing family resilience in ASD caregiving.
• Analysis of 55 eligible studies to identify resilience models and intervention outcomes.

Main Results:

• Seven distinct resilience models were identified: protective factors, transactional, ecological systems, CARE, mindfulness-based stress reduction, Triple-A, and strengths-based approaches.
• Interventions derived from these models demonstrated significant benefits, including reduced parental stress and caregiver burden.
• Positive outcomes also included enhanced family cohesion, improved psychological health, and increased quality of life.

Conclusions:

• Resilience-building strategies are vital for families raising children with ASD.
• Culturally adapted, multidisciplinary, and scalable interventions are recommended for maximum impact.
• Standardized evaluation tools and policy integration are needed to ensure sustained support for ASD families.