Caregivers and Coping: Well-Being, Depression, and Coping Strategies Among Caregivers of Young Adults With Developmental Disabilities.
Teaching caregivers positive coping cuts depression, especially when their adult child shows severe externalizing behaviors.
01Research in Context
What this study did
De Laet et al. (2025) tracked caregivers of young adults with autism or intellectual disability for ten years.
They asked how coping style, caregiver mood, and youth behavior linked over time.
The team looked at who stayed upbeat and who slid into depression.
What they found
Caregivers who used positive coping kept higher well-being and lower depression.
The link was strongest when the young adult showed lots of hitting, yelling, or running off.
Good coping acted like a shield only when stress was high.
How this fits with other research
Cramm et al. (2009) saw the same shield effect in a six-year study.
They found personality mattered more for moms, while coping mattered more for dads.
Hannah’s longer view shows the shield holds for both parents if youth behavior is tough.
Marsack-Topolewski et al. (2025) tracked families through COVID-19.
They also saw carers with the most disabled or stressed youth stay stuck in high stress.
Together the papers say: teach coping early, but give extra help when behavior is severe.
Why it matters
You can cut caregiver depression by teaching positive coping.
Screen for high externalizing behaviors first.
If the adult child is aggressive, add extra coaching and respite.
A brief coping-skills group may save months of burnout later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This 10-year study followed 134 caregivers of young adults with autism and intellectual disabilities, examining the effects of caregivers' coping strategies, sociodemographic features, and young adult symptomatology on caregiver well-being and depression. Lower caregiver education and higher young adult externalizing behaviors predicted lower well-being and higher depression among caregivers. Caregivers who were Black or mixed-race experienced higher depression than White caregivers. All five coping strategies investigated predicted changes in caregiver well-being and/or depression, with some effects moderated by young adult externalizing behaviors and sociodemographic features. Notably, higher use of positive coping among caregivers of adults with high externalizing behaviors predicted higher caregiver well-being and lower depression. Findings highlight the importance of effective coping strategies for improving caregiver mental health.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2025 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-130.1.41