Parental Stress among Family Caregivers of Children with AutisminaTeachingHospital

Abstract

Background: Parenting is a journey that may bring joy, happiness, challenges, and frustration. However, raising children with autism with unpredictable behavior may elevate parental stress among parents and family caregivers. Objective: The study aims to assess parental stress among family caregivers of children with autism in a teaching hospital. Methods: This quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted at Hospital Al-Sultan Abdullah (HASA), University Technology MARA (UiTM), using a convenient sampling technique with a total sample size of 110 parents and family caregivers of children with autism (n = 110). An online questionnaire consisting of the Parental Stress Scale (PSS) and the Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST) was used in this study to assess the level of parental stress and identify the severity of probable autistic behavior. Results: The finding shows that 75.5% of the participants were female and 94.5% were Malay. Most autistic children were male (63.6%), and most children (n = 81, 73.6%) had severe autistic behavior. However, 82.7% of participants reported low parental stress (mean = 34.41±13.06). Caregivers were found to have higher stress levels t (108) = -2.16; p=0.033). Besides, there was no significant association between the level of parental stress and the severity of autism (r=0.035, p=0.715). Conclusion: Special intervention is needed for the caregiver to improve stress management strategies by involving health care professionals for counseling and assistance to address the effects of stress. A larger sample size is recommended for future research to enhance external validity.