Comparing caregiving outcomes among male and female parents of autistic adults

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2024

Department/School

Social Work

Publication Title

Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services

Abstract

This study compared aging male and female parents of autistic adults to determine if self-reported caregiver health, quality of life, caregiver burden, informal social support, and formal social support differ between the two groups. Fifty-seven female caregivers and 57 male caregivers were selected using data from a larger study. T-tests for independent samples compared dependent variables between female and male parents. Statistically significant differences were found on four dependent variables, self-reported health, quality of life, overall caregiver burden, and emotional burden. Male parents had better self-reported health, greater quality of life, and less emotional burden, while female parents experienced greater overall caregiver burden. Social workers and other professionals should be cognizant of differences experienced by aging caregivers when providing tailored support and services.

Comments

C. N. Marsack-Topolewski is a faculty member in EMU's School of Social Work.

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