Does type of disability make a difference in affiliate stigma among family caregivers of individuals with autism, intellectual disability or physical disability?
Autism caregivers feel more affiliate stigma than those supporting individuals with ID or physical disability—screen and support them specifically.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team sent a short stigma survey to the caregivers.
One group cared for a child with autism.
The other groups cared for a child with intellectual disability or physical disability.
Everyone answered the same six questions about feeling ashamed or blamed.
What they found
Autism caregivers scored highest on affiliate stigma.
Their average was 2.2 out of 5.
ID and physical-disability caregivers scored 1.8 and 1.7.
All scores were low, but the autism gap was still clear.
How this fits with other research
Lifshitz et al. (2014) also compared disability groups.
They showed kids with physical disabilities join fewer play activities.
Together the papers hint that both the child and the caregiver face extra social limits.
Baldwin et al. (2014) add that adults with autism hit roadblocks at work.
When you stack the three studies, autism keeps showing wider family and life impacts.
Why it matters
You can add two quick stigma questions to your intake form.
If the family marks autism, offer a parent support hand-out or peer group link right away.
A five-minute screen can save months of hidden stress.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that beyond public and self stigma, stigma can also impact family members. Only scant research has examined the internalised aspects of stigma, known as affiliate stigma, among family caregivers of individuals with disabilities. This study examined affiliate stigma among family caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities via a comparison between caregivers of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and physical disabilities (PD) in Israel. METHODS: Family caregivers (n = 171) of individuals with developmental disabilities, mainly ID (22.4%), ASD (32.9%) and PD (27.1%), completed a self-report structured questionnaire including the Affiliate Stigma Scale and background variables. RESULTS: Results supported a one-factor structure for the Affiliate Stigma Scale. Overall, affiliate stigma was relatively low in this sample, but was found to be higher among caregivers of individuals with ASD when compared with caregivers of individuals with ID or PD. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study point to the importance of supporting caregivers of individuals with ASD to decrease their feelings of stigma. It is also important to further develop scales measuring affiliate stigma in order to capture the multi-dimensional nature of the concept.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2015 · doi:10.1111/jir.12136