Purpose: The study purpose was to examine the effect of emotional support on the overall mental health and stress for caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study using secondary data from the 2016-2019 National Survey of Children's Health was conducted using single variable and multivariable linear regression analyses.
Results: More informal emotional support sources were associated with better overall mental health (β = 0.124, SE = 0.015, p < .001) and reduced stress (β = -0.261, SE = 0.039, p < .001) for caregivers of children with ASD, controlling for covariates. The number of formal emotional support sources was not significantly associated with caregiver overall mental health or stress when controlling for covariates. Increased amounts of total emotional support sources were significantly associated with increased overall mental health (β = 0.042, SE = 0.010, p < .001) and reduced stress (β = -0.093, SE = 0.024, p < .001) for caregivers. Other factors significantly associated with caregiver outcomes included caregiver sex, caregiver marital status, caregiver education level, economic hardship, child sex, child race/ethnicity, ASD severity, and child receipt of ASD treatment.
Conclusion: More emotional support sources, in particular informal support sources, may be a protective factor for well-being for caregivers of children with ASD.
Practice implications: Health care providers should evaluate the impact of their formal support services on caregivers of children with ASD and advocate for increased informal and formal support resources for these caregivers.
Keywords: Autism; Caregiver; Mental health; Parenting; Stress.
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