Caregiver needs and stress in caring for individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
Caregiver stress in FASD is high, lasts decades, and grows with age and poverty—but parent-training programs can lighten the load.
01Research in Context
What this study did
van Timmeren et al. (2016) sent a survey to people who care for someone with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).
They asked how stressed the caregivers felt and what help they still needed.
What they found
Caregivers said their stress was high and their needs were many.
Stress was highest when the person with FASD was a teen or adult, money was tight, or care had lasted many years.
How this fits with other research
Reyes et al. (2019) asked the same group a similar survey and got the same picture: daily life and worry take the biggest toll.
Pruner et al. (2020) talked to parents of toddlers at risk for FASD and heard the same gaps—little respite, little emotional support—showing the stress starts early and sticks around.
Weinmann et al. (2023) add a twist: kids with more brain-based impairments bounce through more placements, so caregiver stress can snowball into family break-up.
Benallal et al. (2026) round up parent-training studies and show the stress A et al. documented can drop when caregivers learn tools like Children’s Friendship Training or GoFAR.
Why it matters
If you serve FASD families, expect high caregiver fatigue that spikes at adolescence and in low-income homes. Pair child interventions with parent support or respite from day one, and keep that support going after the teen years—stress doesn’t fade on its own.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
OBJECTIVE: Individuals with FASD experience neurodevelopmental impairments and adverse outcomes, which can result in stress on the caregiver. However, there is little research on the needs of caregivers supporting individuals with FASD and whether they are associated with caregiver stress. METHOD: 125 caregivers of individuals with FASD completed a survey with questions adapted from the Family Caregiver Survey and the Perceived Stress Scale. RESULTS: Caregivers reported a range of needs and concerns, and high levels of stress. In many areas of caregiver well-being concerns tended to be higher among caregivers with adolescents and adults compared to those with children. Foster parents reported fewer well-being concerns than biological/kinship and adoptive parents. Caregivers who cared for the individuals for longer periods of time reported the most well-being concerns and lowest satisfaction with supports. Caregivers with the lowest income reported higher levels of stress than those with higher incomes. Higher reported stress was highly correlated with more needs/concerns. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers of individuals with FASD have multiple areas of need and concern, and experience high levels of stress. Reducing demands on caregivers and providing resources may help reduce caregiver needs and stress, particularly for those caring for adolescents and adults, and those with lower incomes.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2016 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.03.002