Date of Publication

Details

Few studies exist that have examined the impact of service‐related factors and system‐level disruptions (i.e., the pandemic) on families of autistic children in Canada using large sample sizes. To address this gap, the goal of this research was to examine the impact of satisfaction with autism services on caregiver stress, controlling for important demographic variables, such as family income, marital status, and child level of support needs. The impact of navigating and accessing services on parent well‐being was also explored. A total of 1810 primary caregivers of autistic children or youth living in Ontario, Canada completed a survey with both closed‐ and open‐ended questions in the summer of 2021. A hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to examine the impact of satisfaction with autism services on caregiver stress. Open‐ended responses on the survey from a subset of the sample ( n = 637) were coded using thematic analysis to understand the impact of navigating and accessing services on parent well‐being. Satisfaction with services significantly predicted caregiver stress after controlling for marital support, family income, and child level of support needs. Qualitative analysis revealed impacts of navigating and accessing services in three areas: (1) Physical, (2) Emotional/Psychological, and (3) Financial Well‐being. Understanding parent perceptions of satisfaction with services can shed light on strategies for improving services that support parent well‐being.

External Link

Read the Research Paper

Cluster Researcher(s)

  • Publication

First Nations land acknowledegement

The Thriving Kids Research Excellence Cluster acknowledges with gratitude that the land in which we live and work is situated across many traditional and unceded territories, covering all regions of British Columbia.


UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Bluesky The logo for the Bluesky social media service. Chats Two speech clouds. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. External Link An arrow entering a square. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Menu Three horizontal lines indicating a menu. Minus A minus sign. Telephone An antique telephone. Plus A plus symbol indicating more or the ability to add. Search A magnifying glass. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service.