PARENTAL CAREGIVING BURDEN IN RELATION TO AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER SEVERITY: PRELIMINARY EVIDENCE FROM BANGKOK, THAILAND

Abstract

This study investigated the association of autism symptom severity with parental caregiver burden in Bangkok, Thailand. A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted with 82 caregiver-child dyads. ASD severity was measured using the Thai Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (Thai-ATEC), and caregiver burden was assessed with the Thai Zarit Burden Interview (Thai-ZBI). Descriptive statistics and Spearman’s rank correlations were applied. Caregivers were predominantly mothers (65.9%) with a mean age of 41.4 years. Children had a mean Thai-ATEC score of 58.8, with 26.8% classified as mild, 36.6% moderate, and 36.6% severe. The average Thai-ZBI score was 19.2, with 51.2% reporting minimal burden, 39.0% mild-to-moderate, and 9.8% moderate-to-severe. A significant positive correlation was observed between Thai-ATEC total and Thai-ZBI total scores (ρ = 0.685, p < 0.01). All ATEC subdomains were significantly correlated with ZBI dimensions, except sensory/cognitive awareness with privacy conflict. These preliminary findings suggest that greater ASD severity is linked to higher caregiver burden, highlighting the need for interventions that promote child development, self-help, and behavioral support, alongside measures to improve caregiver well-being.