Types of strain among family members of individuals with autism spectrum disorder across the lifespan.
Coping skills and missing services drive caregiver strain more than the size of the chore list.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team sent a one-time survey to families who have a member with autism. They asked how much strain the family feels, what coping skills they use, and what services they still need.
The survey covered all ages, from young kids to adults. The goal was to see which factors make caregiver strain go up or down.
What they found
Caregivers felt the heaviest strain when they had poor coping skills or could not get the services they needed. The sheer number of daily tasks mattered less than these two items.
In short, how you cope and what you can’t get drive stress more than how much you actually do.
How this fits with other research
Williams et al. (2019) extends the same idea. They showed African-American caregivers feel even higher stress and lean more on religious coping. The core message, strain links to coping style, stays the same.
Onovbiona et al. (2024) also extends the finding. They report Black caregivers face extra racial and logistical barriers that raise stress, again pointing to unmet needs as the key lever.
Montenegro et al. (2022) found that each extra service barrier increases felt stigma. This supports Laposa et al. (2017): when needs stay unmet, strain grows.
Jaffar et al. (2025) looks like a contradiction at first. They say caregiver burden hurts mental health through rumination, not unmet needs. The studies differ in method: Ayesha measured thoughts inside the parent, M et al. measured gaps in the system. Both can be true; thoughts and systems each add pressure.
Why it matters
You can lighten caregiver strain faster by teaching coping skills and fighting for services than by trying to reduce the to-do list. Start sessions with a quick coping check and a service-gap scan. One referral or one self-care tool can drop strain more than trimming a few daily tasks.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Ask the caregiver to name one service they still need and one coping skill they can use today; help secure both before the next visit.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Although increased caregiver strain is often found among family caregivers of individuals with autism spectrum disorder, it is still unclear as to how different types of strain relate to amount and types of caregiving across the lifespan. AIMS: The present study examined different types of strain (i.e. subjective internalized strain, subjective externalized strain, and objective strain) and how such strain relates to the amount of caregiving responsibilities. METHODS: Data was collected via online survey from a sample of 193 family caregivers of individuals with ASD from the United States, Canada, and the Republic of Ireland. Participants completed measures of strain and caregiving responsibilities, as well as coping, demographics, and services needed and received by the individual with ASD. RESULTS: Caregivers reported higher levels of objective strain than subjective, and caregiving responsibility was related to objective and subjective internalized strain. Coping style was strongly correlated with all types of strain, and unmet service needs were significantly related to objective and subjective internalized strain. Caregiving behaviors were only related to objective strain. CONCLUSION: The present results indicate that, although caregiving responsibility is related to objective and subjective internalized strain, the relationship is perhaps not as strong as the relationship between coping mechanisms and strain. Future research is needed to understand different types of strain and develop strategies to help caregivers.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2017 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2017.07.003