Parent-reported clinical severity, functional challenges, and caregiver wellbeing in ASD: An exploratory pilot study

Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often experience considerable psychological, social, and physical strain. This study examined caregiver strain, resilience, perceived social support, and quality of life and compared the associations of parent-reported clinical severity and parent-reported functional difficulties with caregiver outcomes.

This exploratory cross-sectional pilot study included 37 parents of children with ASD in South India. Participants completed the Caregiver Strain Questionnaire (CGSQ), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10 (CD-RISC-10), WHOQOL-BREF, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS).

Subjective internalized strain showed the highest scores among the caregiver strain dimensions. Resilience scores were in the lower quartile range, while perceived social support scores were within the moderate support range. No gender differences were observed in caregiver strain, resilience, or quality of life, although fathers reported lower perceived support from family and significant others. Parent-reported clinical severity was associated primarily with caregiver strain, whereas parent-reported functional difficulties were associated with caregiver strain, perceived social support, and all quality of life domains. Higher resilience and perceived social support were associated with lower caregiver strain and better quality of life.

Caregiver wellbeing was more closely associated with parent-reported functional difficulties than with parent-reported clinical severity. These findings suggest that parent-reported everyday functional challenges may be important when examining caregiver wellbeing in ASD.