Prevalence and Predictors of Stress Among Caregivers of Children with Developmental Disorders.
Older, lower-income, less-educated caregivers feel the most stress, so give them material support before you teach new skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Waqar et al. (2026) sent questionnaires to caregivers of children with developmental disorders. They asked how stressed the caregivers felt and what might explain it.
The team looked at caregiver age, child age, number of children, years since diagnosis, income, and education.
What they found
Older caregivers with lower income and less school reported the highest stress.
Stress also rose when the child was older, when there were more kids at home, and when more years had passed since the first diagnosis.
How this fits with other research
Plant et al. (2007) saw the same topic earlier but in preschool families. They found daily-task difficulty and child misbehavior during tasks drove stress. Saman widens the age range and adds caregiver demographics.
Liao et al. (2025) tracked families for 15 years. They showed child behavior and parent stress feed each other over time. Saman gives a one-time snapshot; Xiaoli shows the loop keeps turning.
Falk et al. (2014) and Martin et al. (2003) both say parent thoughts and money problems matter more than child symptoms. Saman agrees: income and education shield caregivers better than any child score.
Why it matters
You can spot the highest-risk caregivers in seconds: older moms with tight budgets and lower schooling. Offer them free childcare sign-up, respite vouchers, or simple text-based coping tips first. Save the heavy parent-training hours for after basic supports are in place.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Medical care advances pose challenges with rising caregiving costs and fewer informal caregivers, shifting healthcare responsibilities to families. Healthcare systems adapt to technological changes, stressing person-centered care but lack support for caregivers. Addressing parental stress is crucial, given its impact on both parent and child well-being, highlighting the necessity for customized support. The study aimed to evaluate caregivers' perceived stress and its connection with socio-demographic factors and children's characteristics. Conducted at a Rehabiltation Institute's Psychology Outpatient Department, 200 mothers were enrolled using non-probability consecutive sampling. Ethical clearance was obtained, and demographic data were collected. The mean perceived stress score (PSS-10) was 31.94, indicating a positive correlation between stress and socio-demographic and disability-related variables. Significant differences in stress levels were observed between joint and nuclear family caregivers, p < .01, and those with daughters versus sons with disabilities < 0.001. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed positive correlations between perceived stress and caregiver p = < 0.001 and child age p = < 0.001, number of children p = < 0.001, and time since diagnosis p = < 0.001, with negative correlations with caregiver education p = < .001and income p = < 0.001. Multiple linear regression indicated that caregiver and child age, time since diagnosis, and the number of children positively predicted while income and education of the caregiver negatively predicted perceived stress. No significant association was found between other variables like family volunteers' education, disability type, and caregiver stress. Caregivers exhibited high perceived stress levels, highlighting the reciprocal relationship between child characteristics and parental stress, emphasizing the need for comprehensive family interventions.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2026 · doi:10.1007/s10897-016-0060-9