Examining Parental Stress and Autism in the Early Days of the Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Study

Ban S. Haidar () and Hedda Meadan
Additional contact information
Ban S. Haidar: Department of Special Education, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, 1310 Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
Hedda Meadan: Department of Special Education, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, 1310 Sixth Street, Champaign, IL 61820, USA

Disabilities, 2024, vol. 4, issue 1, 1-19

Abstract: In this convergent parallel mixed-methods study, we investigated the early impact of the COVID-19 stay-at-home mandate in Illinois on 16 caregivers of children with autism. Our goal was to understand contributors to caregivers’ stress by integrating qualitative and quantitative data. Through a joint display, we explored the intricate relationship between caregivers’ perceptions of their child’s needs, the loss of essential services, and stress levels. The caregivers’ reported needs, wishes, barriers, and coping strategies informed and corroborated final quantitative results on stress levels. Significant associations were found between stress levels and caregivers’ agreement with statements on child supervision, service loss, and perceived level of their child’s independence. These findings underscore the importance for robust support systems that enhance family resilience and validate prior research during exceptional circumstances. They offer insights for policymakers and service providers seeking to improve the well-being of families raising children with autism, particularly in times of crisis.

Keywords: COVID-19; autism; caregiver stress; mixed-methods study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7272/4/1/10/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7272/4/1/10/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jdisab:v:4:y:2024:i:1:p:10-162:d:1344514

Access Statistics for this article

Disabilities is currently edited by Ms. Cici Zhou

More articles in Disabilities from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().