The Multidimensional Factors That Influence the Family Management of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Mixed Methods Study.
Shayleigh Dickson Page, Kylie Trone, Margaret C Souders and 2 others
PMID 40356251WHAT IT FOUND
Families with higher confidence and lower effort had more family-centered routines and stronger social support.
Nurses can help caregivers shift from child-centered to family-centered routines and identify support networks to reduce management burden.
Key findings
01Caregivers with higher ability and lower effort described family-centered routines and received more support from family and community.
02Caregivers with lower ability and higher effort described child-centered routines, isolation, and overwhelming uncertainty about management.
03Perceived social support was significantly higher in the higher ability, lower effort group compared to the lower ability, higher effort group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was predominantly White mothers in two-parent heterosexual couples with higher education and financial stability. Recruitment from an urban hospital with an autism center of excellence may limit generalizability to rural areas or families with less access to services. Data was collected from a single primary caregiver per family, missing other perspectives. A single coder analyzed the majority of qualitative transcripts, though a second coder reviewed a random sample. The lower ability/lower effort group had a very small sample size (n=5), limiting conclusions for that specific pattern.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by a Student Grant Award from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing and NIH/NHLBI training grants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that child behavior problems are the sole determinant of family management style. The study found that perceived social support and routine structure were equally critical differentiators between groups, and caregiver mental health scores did not differ significantly across the four management patterns.