A Review of Determinants of Parenting Stress in Mothers and Fathers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Parenting stress is considered a significant factor affecting the treatment outcome of parent-mediated interventions (PMI) – a treatment approach for improving the severity of ASD symptoms in autistic children. In case, defining the determinants of parenting stress is indispensable for achieving improvement. However, few studies have systematically taken various determinants together for discussion. Additionally, little is known about the difference between male and female caregivers. I examined 235 previous studies on the topic of parenting stress that were published between 2013-2022 and identified 22 articles for review. Among those, only 7 compared the influence of different determinants. Within those studies, social support was found to be consistently correlated with the parenting stress level. The results suggested that the severity of autism, adaptive behaviors, problem behaviors, and social support were all correlated with fluctuation in stress level, though the proportional relationship varied between studies. Additionally, mothers and fathers differed in overall stress levels, with a focus on various determinants. This review indicates a need for control in child age and intervention experience to horizontally compare the effect of diverse stressors.