Parenting stress and FASD: A scoping review.
FASD caregivers buckle under the same child-driven stress seen in ASD—target behavior and executive function to give relief.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Cassidy and colleagues scanned every paper on parenting stress in FASD. They kept 15 studies that measured caregiver strain and child factors. The team mapped what stresses parents most and what child skills are tied to that stress.
What they found
Across the 15 papers, caregivers of kids with FASD report high parenting stress. The top drivers are child problem behavior and weak executive-function skills like shifting attention or holding rules in mind.
How this fits with other research
The pattern looks much like ASD. Lai et al. (2015) and Estes et al. (2009) also show child behavior is the main fuel for parental stress in autism.
Miezah et al. (2026) add that low social support keeps ASD moms stressed for years. Cassidy’s FASD review echoes this: child behavior plus poor self-regulation equals caregiver overload in both diagnoses.
Zwiya et al. (2023) watched parents of FASD kids “over-scaffold” play, staying one step ahead. That extra coaching load may partly explain the high stress Cassidy reports.
Why it matters
If you serve kids with FASD, treat problem behavior and executive-function skills first. You will lighten caregiver stress the same way you do for ASD families. Add parent coaching on coping and social support to complete the package.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that may arise following prenatal exposure to alcohol. Children with FASD tend to experience a diverse set of physical, social, cognitive, and behavioral symptoms. Caregivers of these children likely experience elevated levels of parenting stress; however, research in this area is still in its infancy. AIM: The present study sought to more fully understand the current state of the literature on parenting stress experienced by caregivers of children with FASD. METHOD: Databases including PsycInfo, Scopus, PsycArticles, and Google Scholar were searched for records meeting our inclusion criteria. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: 15 studies were deemed eligible for this review. This literature suggests that caregivers of children with FASD experience heightened levels of parenting stress. Child factors, especially child behavior and executive functioning difficulties are associated with Child Domain stress, while parent factors are associated with Parent Domain stress. Gaps were identified in child and caregiver mental health issues, as well as placement information.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2023 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104498