Assessment of the burden of caregiving among parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder attending Child Autism Center in Sulaimani city

Abstract

Background: A growing body of evidence suggests that parent’s caregivers of a child affected with autism spectrum disorder experience high rate of anxiety, stress and poorer overall well-being. Autism spectrum disorder is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disability that includes deficits in social, communication and repetitive behaviors. Objective: To assess the type and severity levels of caregiving burden as perceived by parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Methods: A quantitative descriptive design is used in this study. A non-probability, purposive sample size of (40) parents (24mothers and 16fathers) assuming the role of caregivers of (40) children with autism spectrum disorder attending Sulaimani Autistic Center. A questionnaire was developed including the Montgomery family caregivers burden scale to measure parent’s burden. An intervention method was used to collect data from parent’s participants. The statistical analysis was performed by statistical package of social science spss-22. Results: The children with autism spectrum disorder mostly male, mean age 7.5 years and first child ranking in the family. The mother caregivers mostly housewife and mean age 36.8 years. And father mostly governmental employed and mean age 43.9 years. The parent’s experience high severity level of objective burden (3.37± 1.18) and moderate level of stress burden (2.37± 1.30) and demand burden(2.28± 1.22), no statistically significant difference between total burden scale of caregiving in regard to parents socio-demographic characteristics (P˃0.05 Conclusion: The parent’s caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder experiencing high severity level of objective burden of caregiving was mainly related to decrease time for their personal and social life, and moderate level of subjective stress burden was related to anxiety, worry and nervousness.