Author : Samantha E. Ault
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (137 download)
Book Synopsis Geographic Disparity in Mental Health of Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder by : Samantha E. Ault
Download or read book Geographic Disparity in Mental Health of Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder written by Samantha E. Ault and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Background: Caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have been found to have poor mental health outcomes and higher stress compared to the general population, parents of typically developing children, and parents of children with other chronic health care conditions. Emotional support for caregivers has been shown to buffer the stress and negative effects that some caregivers experience. Caregivers living in rural areas may face additional barriers to obtaining support for themselves due to the lack of local support resources. Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation study is to examine geographic (urban, suburban, and rural setting) disparities in overall mental health and stress for caregivers and the amount of emotional support sources received by caregivers of children with ASD. In addition, the impact emotional support has on caregiver overall mental health and stress for caregivers of children with ASD is explored. Method: A cross-sectional secondary analysis of the 2016-2019 National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH) data was used to conduct this dissertation study. Complex survey data analyses techniques with bivariable and multivariable linear regression models were employed for the statistical analyses. Results: No geographic disparities were found in caregiver overall mental health, caregiver stress, or emotional support received when controlling for possible confounding variables. Informal emotional support was found to significantly decrease caregiver stress for caregivers of children with ASD when controlling for covariates. In addition, formal emotional support was found to increase stress for caregivers, but this relationship was no longer significant when controlling for covariates. Overall, near or over a quarter of the subpopulation sample in each geographic area reported having no informal support sources and over half reported having no formal support sources. Conclusion: Despite hypotheses based on previous research, geographic location of residence did not predict outcome variables in parents of children with ASD. However, a concerning percentage of the sample in this study reported having no informal or formal emotional support. This is troubling as informal emotional support appears to be beneficial in decreasing caregiver stress for caregivers of children with ASD. Recommendation: Future research is needed to explore the characteristics and types of emotional support found beneficial to caregivers of children with ASD in varying geographic areas. Barriers to receiving emotional support need to be identified and intervention studies are needed to target the lack of emotional support accessed by caregivers of children with ASD. When providing formal emotional support to caregivers of children with ASD, health care providers need to be aware of the possibility of adding stress to caregivers.