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Associations Among Autism Symptom Domains and Facets of Caregiver Strain

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Abstract

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience elevated levels of caregiver strain (CGS). Few studies have examined the relationship between core ASD symptoms and each facet of CGS: objective, subjective internalized, and subjective externalized strain. The predictive effect of core and associated features of ASD on CGS facets were investigated, while also exploring the moderating effect of age. Atypical behaviors and behavior problems were the strongest predictors of all types of caregiver strain. For younger children, more repetitive behaviors predicted higher externalized strain, yet the opposite was true for parents of adolescents. Given that caregiver strain impacts parents’ service utilization patterns, future research should focus on strategies to support parents in reducing caregiver strain.

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Funding

Rose Nevill an iTHRIV Scholar. The iTHRIV Scholars Program is supported in part by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers UL1TR003015 and KL2TR003016.

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  1. University of Virginia, 417 Emmet St. South, 22903, Charlottesville, VA, USA

    Sophie Brunt, Rose Nevill & Micah O. Mazurek

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  1. Sophie Brunt
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Correspondence to Sophie Brunt.

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This Network activity was supported by Autism Speaks and cooperative agreement UA3 MC11054 through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Research Program to the Massachusetts General Hospital. This work was conducted through the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS, the U.S. Government, or Autism Speaks. This work was conducted through the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network serving as the Autism Intervention Research Network on Physical Health.

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Brunt, S., Nevill, R. & Mazurek, M.O. Associations Among Autism Symptom Domains and Facets of Caregiver Strain. J Autism Dev Disord 54, 1507–1516 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05885-5

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